Worth the Trouble
by The Prime Minister
Summary: Shikamaru's life is full of hassles. Is there anything that's worth the trouble? ShikaIno and ShikaTemari are the main pairings, with some others, such as NaruHina, touched upon also. Complete.
1. Chapter 1 The hillside

A/N: Obviously this is fanfiction, so the majority of the characters aren't of my creation, blah blah disclaimer blah. This is mainly a Shikamaru fic, although the following pairings show up, later on: Naruto/Hinata, Shika/Temari, Shika/Ino, Sakura/Lee, Neji/TenTen, and Chouji/OC. It's going to span roughly ten years of Shikamaru's life. Rated PG-13 because it'll have some mild expletives and some sexual references later, although nothing graphic. You won't have to worry about that for a few chapters, though. I'll most likely be uploading 2-3 times a week for at least nine weeks (although I'll be taking a week-long break in the middle of September). That gives you a sense of how long this thing is going to be. However, the chapters are short, so it shouldn't be too painful. Anyhow, if you like it, I'd love to read your review. If you think I've made mistakes that need to be fixed, please let me know!

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He fell back in the grass with a sigh, closing his eyes and feeling his muscles unwind. The breeze rippled the stalks of grass around him, tickling his skin as it passed over him. The only sounds that reached his ears were of the wind and plants rustling, with perhaps a distant bird or two chirping at the edges of his perception. This was good silence, silence without void, unlike the silence of battle, where the only noises a person heard were the panicked responses of the body. Shikamaru definitely didn't appreciate the silence of ninja battle.

Lying on the grass felt like heaven to him. Sure, the ground of his favorite hillside was lumpy and always dug into his back, but it was a far better sensation than that of bark pressed against his body as he hid from an enemy. He had been frightened on his last mission. The tips of his fingers ached from the memory of adrenaline coursing through his capillaries as he fought the warriors from the Sound. He still didn't know how they had all made it back alive. Of course, Sasuke and Naruto almost hadn't survived, and Neji and Chouji wouldn't have, either, had jounin not been on their tail. Shikamaru would always be grateful to the people who had saved his closest friend.

The terror of the mission was subsiding now, but he could still feel the damage. Nobody had come through it unscathed. He had actually sustained the least damage physically, but he couldn't help but feel that if he had been a better leader they would have sustained fewer injuries. Part of him knew this line of thinking was illogical, but there it was. What really shamed him was that his plans would have failed completely had the Sand ninja not shown up.

He sighed again as he watched the afternoon clouds roll by in the sky. It had been startling, being responsible for the lives of his friends, being forced to fight such incredibly strong opponents, and being saved by such a strange girl. Temari was strong, there was no doubt about it. She had to be a couple of years older than he was, and she was talented. Smart, too, although not as smart as he was. It had been so embarrassing to be rescued by her, but it would have been worse to die. Things worked out, in his opinion. That's why he never really worried about anything. It was simply too troublesome. Inefficiencies were always troublesome.

"Hey," he heard a voice say beside him, and he turned his head to see a pair of sandaled feet.

"Hey," he replied, and turned his gaze back to the sky. He didn't want to miss the sunset.

"How's it going?" the voice asked again, uncharacteristically soft. Of course, it was how he liked best to hear it. It wasn't loud or snotty like the usual tone of her voice, and it had a smoother quality than Temari's.

"Fine," he grunted, taking a deep breath and shifting in his chuunin jacket, settling more deeply into the grass.

"We haven't had a chance to talk since you got back."

His eyebrow seemed to raise of its own accord. Great, now he had to actually talk to her, and just when he was enjoying the sky. "You're right, Ino, we haven't. It can wait, can't it?"

He heard her sigh. "I just wanted to thank you for coming back alive. I'm happy Chouji will be okay, too."

"Yeah," was all he had to say to that.

She shifted uncomfortably for a moment, then sat down next to him. "You know, I never knew what you did with all your spare time. Is this your favorite thing to do?"

Shikamaru smiled. "Yeah, it is."

She rolled onto her side and he turned his head, meeting her cerulean eyes. "What do you think about?" she asked softly.

He studied her face for a moment, searching it for hidden motivations, but he found none. Before him was Ino distilled, quiet, true, and real. A chuckle almost found its way out of his throat, but he wasn't eager to have raging Ino pouncing on him. Temari was scary enough, and he didn't even know her; the thought of angry Ino was the stuff of nightmares. Still, this was a side to Ino he really hadn't seen before, and he didn't want to lose it so quickly. "I think about lots of things. I think about the future, about the past," he murmured. "I think about my friends. I look at the clouds and think how great they've got it."

"Why? What about them is so great?"

"They don't have to be anywhere. They just go where the winds take them. When it's time to rain, they rain, and when it's time to disappear, they just do it. No worries, no pressure. Nobody really expects much from them."

Ino was silent for a while, her eyes looking into his. She was so close that he could actually see reflections of his face in her irises. Didn't she have any sense of personal space? Not that he minded too terribly, really. It wasn't like she smelled bad or anything. Actually, quite the opposite.

Finally she rolled onto her back, folding her arms behind her head. "Hey, that one kind of looks like a rabbit," she said, pointing, then falling silent. He was watching her, not the sky. A few moments later she pointed again. "And there's a castle."

Shikamaru finally took his eyes from her and looked at the clouds also. "Yup," he agreed. "You're good at this."

She turned her face to him, beaming. Her real, brilliant smile made him realize how many fake smiles she usually gave people. He thought about that for a little while, then decided that he actually got more than his fair share of genuine smiles. Ino was pretty, with her fine, pale skin and hair, but she was also natural and artless, lying in the grass with him, watching the sky.

"Look!" she exclaimed, sitting up and pointing. He followed her lead, clasping his wrists and looping his arms around his legs. The sky was filled with colored light, bouncing off the clouds and painting everything. He looked at her and a small smile crept over his face. She grinned back, another genuine smile. "It's beautiful. The light's making everything look softer."

"Yeah," he whispered, watching her hair turn gold, then red in the rays of the setting sun. A blanket of purple covered them, giving fuzzy edges to the trees, and finally night fell. They lay side by side in the grass until the stars came out and the crickets began to chirp in the bushes. Shikamaru couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so contented. He enjoyed being alone, but it had been nice to share the beautiful evening with someone, especially someone who was a friend. Ino had been good company.

A flash of light caught the corner of his eye, and he turned his head, raising an arm to point. "Look," he murmured, watching for another shooting star, and suddenly something soft and warm pushed up against him. He glanced over in surprise and saw Ino, fast asleep, cuddling up against his side. Her face was flawless in slumber, gentle beyond compare. Being only thirteen, Shikamaru thought girls were especially troublesome, especially Ino, especially right at that moment, but he didn't make any effort to move away and even had the decency to blush as the beating of his heart sped up a little. He wouldn't have thought it would have made a difference, being touched by a girl, but suddenly his evening had become even better.

"Okay, just a little longer, and then I'll take you home," he whispered to the night, and turned his gaze back to the stars.


	2. Chapter 2 New family in town

A/N: Disclaimer blah blah. I'll post another chapter in the next few days.

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Being a chuunin was okay, he guessed. He had been one for over three years. His superiors and parents were pressuring him to take the jounin exam, but he just didn't feel like it. If he went to the jounin level someone might expect him to join ANBU, and that was not something he ever wanted to do. Talk about troublesome- being an ANBU member was about as troublesome a job as one could get. So, he was content being a chuunin. The only reason he took the chuunin test at all in the first place was so his team members could take the test. It meant a lot more to them than it did to him. None of it mattered now, since they were all chuunin. Of course, he knew he would have to take the jounin exam soon. He was already being teamed up with jounin on his missions. In fact, on the last mission, which had been particularly difficult, his team (on which he had been the only chuunin- very suspicious, that) had met up with a jounin team from the Sand. Temari had been on that team, and had spent all her free time busting his chops about still being chuunin. She had harassed him quite a bit, actually, and had even winked at him a few times. If he hadn't been mistaken, she had also passed her hand over his rear, not once but several times. He tried not to think about it. The incident had made him feel dirty and slightly excited all at once. Stupid puberty. He had hoped that girls would become less bothersome when he became a man, but now he could see that wasn't going to be the case. Hormones only made things worse. What also sucked, in his opinion, was the fact that some of his friends already thought they were men. He knew better. He wasn't sure what made a man, but he knew they weren't there yet. 

He walked back towards his home after the mission debriefing. Making reports wasn't fun, in his opinion, and yet whatever team he was on was always making him do them. Since they outranked him most of the time, it wasn't like he could refuse. He suspected it was just one more method they were using to try to get him to become a jounin. Naruto, Lee, Shino, and Neji had all been hanging out in the cafeteria, waiting for their next assignment. They had already become jounin and were loving every minute of it. They had called out to him to join them, but he had declined, of course. He wanted to get home and take a shower.

He soon realized that his hygiene goal would not be accomplished in the immediate future, for as he was strolling down the street he saw Chouji standing outside a building next to his father. Conversation was inevitable, especially when his friend happened to turn and spot him. "Shikamaru! Hey!" the large boy called out, waving.

Shikamaru sighed and walked over. "Hey. What's going on? How are you doing, Mister Akimichi?"

Chouji's father merely smiled and nodded at the boy, then took his leave, shouting at one of the construction workers running around the building. "How was your mission?" Chouji asked, cheeks ruddy as he smiled.

"Oh, it was okay," Shikamaru replied with a shrug. "Temari was a little grabby, but other than that it was fine."

Chouji's eyes sparkled. "Another joint mission with the Sand, eh? You know, I think that Temari's got a thing for you."

"Bah," was all Shikamaru had to say to that. "So what's going on here?"

Chouji gestured at the building. "This? Oh, Dad's expanding his business. The demand for our soldier pills has gone up considerably as of late, and so we're trying to cook up new lines. Of course, the front part of the shop will also be a café."

"Of course."

"Dad hired this awesome chef. He has a strong chemistry background, so he's going to be leading most of the research and development of the pills. The guy's wife and daughter are going to help, too, but will mostly be concerned with running the shop and preparing food for the café customers."

Shikamaru nodded. It all made sense, and Chouji was obviously excited about it. The boy was practically squirming with anticipation. His energy made Shikamaru smile, an expression that broadened slightly when his friend pulled out a bag of snacks and began to chow down. Chouji was taller than him now, and still looked as fat as ever, but Shikamaru knew that his body was strong and hard. The Akimichi clan had deceptive looks, which came in handy plenty of times. Of course, Chouji hadn't been the only one who had grown. Shikamaru was taller than most of the others, too, with the exception of Shino and Lee. Naruto might overtake him someday, too. Shikamaru had them all beat in the facial hair department, though.

"Did you just get back, then? You look like you need to shave," Chouji said, and Shikamaru let his gaze slide back to his friend. He hated it when Chouji seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

"Yeah," he grunted. "I can't wait until the damn patches fill in. It's stupid to only grow pieces of a beard, you know?"

Chouji chuckled, stuffing some rice puffs into his mouth. "At least you can try," he replied.

Shikamaru shrugged and went back to watching the construction, finally noticing a trio walking towards them. There was a tall, unbelievably thin man with a long red ponytail with a portly woman on his arm. Although she was large, there was grace in her movements and in her smile as she looked up at the man. The man's green eyes twinkled at her, suddenly softening his gaunt face. A girl, who seemed to be about fifteen, walked behind them, sporting long, glossy dark hair and eyes that matched the man's. Her body was lithe and yet soft, her hips and breasts just starting to swell. Shikamaru could appreciate her beauty. Few girls in Konoha were as pretty as this new girl was. "Hey, is that them?" he asked.

He didn't receive a reply. Glancing over, he saw that Chouji's lips were slightly parted, his eyes fixed on the girl. The girl looked his way and smiled slightly, bobbing her head, and Chouji grinned in return, his cheeks coloring ever so slightly.

"I guess it is them," Shikamaru muttered. "Hey, you should go greet them and make them feel welcome."

Chouji's face immediately paled. "What? Me? Now?"

"Yeah, all that. Go on."

"B-but, what if I'm clumsy, or they don't think fat people are nice, or…"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Oh, they're not going to care. Besides, you're not fat. You're just husky. Go."

Chouji took a deep breath. "Okay, wish me luck," he said, and went to greet the family. "Hello, I'm Akimichi Chouji, and I would like to welcome you to Konohagurake."

Shikamaru smiled slightly to himself, pleased at the way the girl was smiling at his friend. The parents seemed friendly, too. Seeing that he had nothing else to worry about, he set off towards home once again. It was nice to feel the motion of his rolling gait as he walked down the street, not having to hurry or jump or do any other crazy mission maneuvers. The sky was bright and beautiful, with fluffy clouds meandering overhead. Damn, it was good to be home.

He was almost to his house when he passed a twittering couple walking in the opposite direction. They were cooing to one another and cuddling, making his stomach turn until he caught a flash of eyes the color of the spring sky. Pale blonde hair shone in the sunlight, the ponytail brushing the top of the girl's shoulder. His heart skipped a beat and he took a short breath, hating the slight blush that rose to his face.

"Oh, Shikamaru!" the light voice chimed. "You're back! How was the mission?"

Shikamaru roughly pushed away the memory of Temari's hand passing over his rear. "Hey, Ino," he replied, keeping his hands shoved in his pockets. "Mission was fine."

She smiled at him, her teeth a bright white between her rosy lips. "Great! Hey, are you looking forward to training with Chouji in two weeks?"

"Yeah, actually," he replied, eyeing the guy Ino was with. He was easily eighteen, with dark hair and light gray eyes. He had a scar that ran from the inside corner of his right eye to the hinge of his jaw, but it didn't mar his good looks any. His uniform marked him as a fellow chuunin. Shikamaru wagered he hadn't been on too many missions with jounin, then wondered why he even cared.

Ino caught the glance he sent towards her boy. "Oh, sorry," she said quickly. "This is Kenji."

The two males looked each other over, and Shikamaru knew his sour face and skinny body were no match for the handsome Kenji. He dismissed the other boy and shifted his attention back to Ino, noticing for the hundredth time how much she had grown. Her limbs had lengthened and strengthened, her skin as flawless and glowing as ever. The curve of her hips was tantalizing and muscular, her bust ample. Damn it, he was going to make himself crazy if he thought about it too long. It was bad enough he dreamed about it. "Have fun, you two," he said curtly, nodded to Ino, and took off towards home.

The walk only took him ten minutes from where Ino had been cavorting with her boyfriend, but to him it felt like ten years. He didn't care what anybody thought of him, but he had never had a girlfriend. Of course, he didn't want one. What a mess that would be! Someone always trying to monopolize his time, someone always pestering him about feelings…. It was just too much trouble. Still, he didn't like to see Ino with other guys. He felt…protective…of her. Yeah, that was it. He knew she could take care of herself, but he could still worry. She should feel flattered, because he wasn't the type of person to worry about much. Well, Ino was Ino and she would do what she wanted to. That was that.

He pushed open the door to his house, sighing as he took off his shoes in the entry. "You're home early," he heard his mother call. "What a nice surprise! Do you want to take a bath with me before we get down to business, or do you want to wait until after?"

"What?" Shikamaru replied, utterly confused and embarrassed.

His mother's head appeared around the corner. "Oh, Shikamaru!" she said, blushing. "I'm sorry, I thought you were your father."

"Eww," Shikamaru grunted. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Wait," she said. "I didn't expect you back today. How was your mission?"

Shikamaru didn't reply and kept walking towards the stairs. As he got older he understood more why his dad was with his mom, the overbearing harpy that she was, but it grossed him out. He didn't know what all the fuss was about, but he figured he'd probably have to have a wife if he wanted kids, which he did. Someone had to support him so he could retire, after all.

"Hey!" his mother snapped. "I asked you a question, young man. You should have the courtesy to answer."

He sighed and turned around on the stairs. "It was fine. No problems. We partnered with a Sand team, so it went more quickly than normal."

His mother blinked her dark eyes, eyes he knew he had inherited. "Sand? That's interesting."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Hokage-sama's working really hard to keep relations good. I've actually worked with this particular team a few times."

A smile crossed his mother's face. "Well, you go take your shower now. I'll have a snack waiting for you when you come back down." Brushing her hands off on her apron, she turned and went back towards the kitchen.

Shikamaru headed on up the stairs to get his shower and some clean clothes. Maybe he'd even take a quick nap. The smell of his mother putting something on the stove wafted into his nostrils and sent his stomach to growling. Okay, maybe he'd nap after his snack. Sometimes, he guessed, his mom could be cool.


	3. Chapter 3 Training with Chouji

A/N: Many thanks to those of you that reviewed so far! I've mentioned two pairings in this story: Shikamaru/Ino and Shikamaru/Temari. Please keep reading as I release more chapters to find out what's ultimately going on. I will touch on the other characters of the series, too, some more than others. I refuse to beg for reviews, but I'll admit that few things make me happier.

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Two weeks later he sat down next to Chouji with a sigh, rummaging around in his pack for his lunch. His hunger surprised him, but he guessed Chouji had worn him out. His friend had certainly gained a lot of strength and stamina recently. He pulled out a sandwich and bit into it, scratching his cheek with a free hand. Glancing at his friend, he watched as the large boy pulled a box out of his overstuffed backpack. It was a lovely item, black and lacquered with plum blossoms painted on it. It certainly wasn't something Chouji would own. He continued to watch as other boxes, of different shapes but equally fine, appeared out of the depths of the pack, followed by an elaborate package of tableware. Chouji opened the lid of the largest box, carefully unwrapped the chopsticks and napkin, and started to eat. The food was of finer quality than Shikamaru had ever eaten and differed so far from Chouji's normal diet of junk food that he was completely baffled. 

"Woah, where did you get all that?" he asked. "That doesn't look like your usual stuff."

A blush spread across his jovial face and he smiled. "Yeah, Naomi packed it for me."

"Naomi?"

"The daughter of the family we hired," Chouji explained.

Shikamaru watched Chouji's blush deepen as he commenced eating. "Seems like she can really cook," he commented. "It was awfully nice of her to make lunch for you."

"Oh, she does it almost every day," Chouji replied between mouthfuls. "She says it's to thank us for giving them a house to live in and not making them pay rent. Plus I helped her move all her furniture into her room."

"That's pretty great," Shikamaru said, surprised. It sounded like the Akimichi clan had hired a very nice family to help them with their business.

"She's really sweet, too, and smart. Not as smart as you, but still pretty sharp. Definitely smarter than I am."

"Don't be hard on yourself."

"And she's so pretty, too. Her cheeks look like dumplings when she smiles, and her eyes are such a nice color."

Shikamaru finished his sandwich and leaned back on his elbows in the grass, looking up at the clouds. It sounded to him like his friend was rather smitten. He turned the idea over in his mind and finally remembered something that might be of interest. "Hey, why don't you ask her to the festival?"

Chouji looked up at him, jaw slack. Bits of rice clung to his lips. "What?" he choked, putting down the box and coughing, grabbing for his canteen and chugging some water. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and shook his head. "Has the pressure of everyone trying to get you to be a jounin finally made you nuts? I want to know, because what you just said was insane."

Shikamaru just shrugged, or as close to the action as he could get while leaning back on his elbows. "Why? She seems to at least be friends with you."

"But she's smart, and talented, and pretty!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "And? What, are you waiting for somebody better?"

"There is nobody better than Naomi," Chouji sighed. "She's so perfect. We have all this stuff in common. Not just the food thing."

"So what are you waiting for?"

"She'd never go with someone like me."

That was the final straw. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sat upright, meeting his friend's gaze head-on. "And why not? You have all sorts of things in common, she makes lunch for you all the time, you spend lots of time together, plus you're a big, strong, handsome guy. You're also one of the nicest people I know. Girls really like that sort of thing."

Chouji polished off his lunch, seeming to consider it. "You really don't think it's a stupid idea? Do you think she'll go with me?"

Shikamaru looked at his friend's gentle, earnest face and felt a laugh bubble up from his chest. "Yeah, I do. Heck, my mom's been married to my dad for almost 20 years and she doesn't make him lunches like that!"

Chouji glanced down at the remains of his lunch, a smile slowly breaking over his face, and then he began to chuckle, too. "Okay, okay. I'll do it. But, if she refuses to go out with me, you owe me lunch at the barbeque joint. Deal?"

If it would increase Chouji's confidence, Shikamaru would do just about anything. His friend was more like a brother to him. Chouji never pressured him to do anything or say anything, just let him be how he wanted to be. His friend was a rare soul, and he hoped more people saw it as time passed. "All right, I don't see why not. I know she'll go." He stood, brushing off the seat of his pants, and began to stretch.

"And you? Are you going to go to the festival?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "No, I don't think so. It's still four weeks away, and there's nobody I could ask, anyway."

Chouji put his lunch away, a sly smile slowly creeping over his round face. "What about Ino?"

Shikamaru blushed. "What about her?"

"Don't you think she's pretty? I mean, she's got better boobs than most of the other girls, but she's not so pretty she looks fake. And you already know her really well. She's always fun at parties."

"Because she always has a boyfriend, dumbass. Besides, she'd never go with me, anyway. I'm not her type."

"Hmph," Chouji grunted. "Okay, whatever."

Shikamaru felt an eyebrow twitch. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"We're just friends."

"Yeah, because girls are too troublesome, right?"

"Exactly," Shikamaru replied. "Way too troublesome." He stood for a moment, thinking. "Wait a minute, when have you gone to parties with Ino?"

Chouji smiled, the expression almost as fox-like as Naruto's. "If you'd just take the damn jounin test they wouldn't make you train all the time. Maybe then you'd get out and have some fun, eh?"

"Aw, crap," he groaned.

"Speaking of training, let's get to it," Chouji reminded him, and the two packed up the remnants of their food, returning to the meadow and training for the remainder of the day. 


	4. Chapter 4 The invitation

A/N: Yikes, I didn't realize how short this chapter was. There's a little bit of strong language in it, too, but not much. I guess I'll post another chapter very soon to make up for this one, and then settle into a regular update schedule next week. Sorry if the pacing is a little slow for you- remember that this piece is pretty long. Please review! I'd love to hear what you have to say about this story, even if it's picking it to pieces.

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There was only one week left until the summer festival. Chouji had asked Naomi to the event, but Shikamaru didn't know if she had accepted. He didn't have time to find out- he left in half an hour for a mission.

"Shikamaru!" he heard his mother yell. "Someone's here to see you!"

"Great," he growled, stuffing more shuriken into a pouch. He was strapped for time as it was. Why did someone have to show up now?

He tromped down the stairs, ready to glare at whoever it was that had interrupted his packing, and saw Ino standing in the entryway. "Hi!" she said. "Do you have a second?"

"Only a second," he replied, unable to really snap at her. It would just cause problems and make him even more late. "I have to leave soon for a mission. Should take five days."

"Oh, then you'll be back in time," she squealed, clasping her hands together. Dammit, she looked really spunky and cute when she did that. Then again, she really was spunky and cute.

"In time for what?"

"To take me to the festival," she said with a grin.

"What?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. I'll do it your way. Shikamaru, will you take me to the summer festival?"

Shikamaru felt his heart start beating more quickly. "What about your boyfriend, Kenji?"

Ino shrugged. "Kenji's old news. My new boyfriend, Toru, is on a mission all this month, and I really want to go."

Ino had yet another boyfriend? "I don't know if I'll be back on time," he answered.

She sighed. "I know how it goes. I have a mission, too, but it's only supposed to take three days. Your teams always finish their missions early, so I'm sure you'll be back. Come on, please?"

Shikamaru took in the sight of her, with her smooth arms crossed over her ample chest, her legs long and strong beneath the curves of her hips. Her neck was graceful also, currently holding her head at a cocked angle. Large blue eyes looked up at him, white teeth biting the barest part of lip in anticipation. She was manipulating him and they both knew it, so why was he so powerless to resist her? "Yeah, okay. I'll take you. Are you sure your new boyfriend won't come back and beat the snot out of me?"

Ino snorted. "As if he could."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh?"

"And as if I'd let him," she added with a grin. "So, meet me at six on the bridge, okay? We'll grab something to eat, play around for a bit, and then watch the fireworks. It'll be lots of fun."

"Okay, I'll be there."

He blushed madly as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big squeeze, his body painfully aware of which of her body parts were touching him. "Bring plenty of money," she said, breaking away from him. "I'm going to want lots of treats and presents!"

"S-sure," he mumbled, then scowled as he realized what he was agreeing to.

"Be safe on your mission!" she said with a wink and then was out the door.

Shikamaru just stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door. Her smile lingered in his mind's eye, his hands hanging limply at his sides. "Sounds like somebody has a date!" his mother giggled, and he numbly turned his head to look at her blankly. She glanced at the clock, and her grin turned into a frown. "Get your rear upstairs and pack this instant. You're going to be late for your mission!" she snapped, cracking a dishtowel at him.

He looked at the clock as well. Two minutes remained until he had to leave. "Shit," he grumbled, and dashed up the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5 The mission

A/N: Gah, another short chapter, but not as short as the previous one. Sorry about that- I'm trying to keep the story moving quickly. By the way, this will appear on my website when it's all finished, and you can read it in one long, glorious sitting there.

To Annachan: Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews! I'm really happy you're getting so much enjoyment out of the story. Your praise is making me dizzy with glee!

A great big thanks to all of you that are stroking my ego. I find myself wishing I could update faster just to hear what you'll say next. In fact, you already have prompted me to update more quickly than I had anticipated. That being said, don't stop! Keep 'em coming, and maybe the story will be finished more quickly {grin}. Hmmm...I'm becoming a review slut. Oh well, it's a good way to start the weekend.

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The mission was not going well. He was huddled in the branches of a tree with two of his three teammates, all of whom were jounin. They could hardly see the tree next to them because of the mist rolling across the land, a drizzling rain coming from above. He didn't want to be a jounin, but this was his eighth mission with a jounin team, and he was tired of doing jounin work without comparable pay. He knew his former teammates were correct about his superiors pressuring him, and perhaps it was finally time to cave in. It would be easier to buy things for his future wife and kids if he made more money, after all, and he could save more money for retirement. Maybe he could even retire early. 

That was if he lived through the mission. It had started out as a simple escort mission, with suspected kidnappers. However, the kidnappers were actually assassins, and the target turned out to be much more important than a mere merchant. Shikamaru swore at himself for not seeing the signs sooner, but he had been distracted as of late. Despite his conviction that the festival would be utterly tedious and bothersome, he still found himself looking forward to it. He hadn't been able to spend a significant chunk of time with Ino in quite a while. In fact, the last time they had been alone was on an afternoon not too different from this one, and they had talked about the time they had fallen asleep on the hillside when they were thirteen, watching the stars. He had never forgotten that evening. It was the night his trouble began, after all.

A movement caught his attention and he glanced over at his team leader, who was pointing at the ground and making a circular gesture. Shikamaru nodded and leaned against the trunk, hands steepled, and shut his eyes. His clan's technique was no good in mist and clouds, and so it was time to rely on his brains. The two jounin beside him disappeared, not even the slightest rustling of leaves marking their passage.

He widened his awareness, using much the same technique as his kagemane no justu, and still felt nothing. Where had the enemy squad gone? They had been so close just a moment ago. Manzo and Noriko had already fanned out in formation, so he couldn't count on them. The enemy's numbers had been equal to theirs, and judging by the fact the battle had already taken two days, their skill was equal as well. He didn't know what it would take to win the fight.

His eyes shot open as he felt someone move into his circle of awareness, his reflexes sending him to the left as the kunai rocketed out of the mist and barely sliced the surface of the skin on the side of his neck. A small trickle of blood wound down into the collar of his jacket, the warmth oddly pleasant in the cold, clammy air.

Without thinking, he jumped to the branch below, backing away from the trunk. A shadowy figure appeared where he had been standing, then disappeared. Dammit, he hated invisibility jutsu. Luckily they were nothing more than genjutsu, so he quickly performed a series of hand seals and there his opponent stood, just out of arm's reach. Shikamaru quickly darted forward, striking his opponent square in the face. The enemy apparently hadn't expected that, for its knees buckled slightly and it staggered backwards, clutching its face.

Shikamaru was about to flee when he was struck from behind, the blow knocking him off the branch. He clenched his teeth as he used his chakra to catch another branch, then swung himself down to the ground. Maybe his chances would be better if he didn't fight them in the air. It didn't seem to matter much, though, for suddenly he had two opponents, and they both seemed real. A third appeared out of nowhere and attacked him with a kunai, slicing through his sleeve and into his arm. He absorbed the cut and rolled to the side, getting up just in time to block a kick to his head. Glancing at his surroundings, he realized what might work. All he needed was one lousy minute of light.

In the meantime, he had his hands full trying to not only get his enemies into position, but also to get them to stay where he wanted them to. Finally he pretended to collapse on the ground, supposedly defeated, and let them come near. By that time he had been quite beaten up, his clothes torn and dirty, his cheekbone bruised, leaves in his hair, and had received several nasty, bloody cuts on his limbs. The three shinobi slowly crept over to him, finally coming close enough to nudge him with a foot. Of course he had so much practice just lying around and ignoring annoying people like Naruto and Ino that he had no trouble at all fooling his enemies. The three stood over him, perfectly silent, and he found it increasingly difficult to lie still. He waited, knowing that it was getting close to mid-afternoon, and the mist would most likely burn off, since the drizzling rain had finally stopped.

The sound of a kunai being drawn from a pouch told him that he didn't have much time left to live if he didn't do something soon. He knew he was a coward, and he didn't want to die to protect someone he barely knew. The light coming through his eyelids brightened a little, and with a silent prayer to the sun, he sprang to his feet and let loose a fire jutsu. The three shinobi cried out and backed away from him, swatting at their clothes, and at that moment the sun momentarily broke through the clouds. "Kagemane no jutsu," he intoned, making the hand seals, and soon the other three were mimicking him. He didn't have enough chakra left to strangle them with their own shadows, not after using so much of it to shield himself from further harm, and to shield himself from what he was about to do next. With a heave, he heaved himself head-first into the tree behind him, the sounds of three sickening crunches causing enough satisfaction to drown out the pain. He had launched them all at the trees hard enough to kill them, but he had channeled his own chakra to protect himself. He doubted they had the time to do the same. The only flaw in his plan was that he didn't know where the fourth shinobi was, but that was just a chance he was going to have to take, because that was his last thought before he slipped into unconsciousness.

It was still daylight when he came to, his arm draped over Manzo's shoulder. His head ached as if it was going to explode, but he held his tongue. "How long was I out?" he grumbled, wincing at the light.

"About twenty-six hours," Manzo replied.

"What?" Shikamaru said. "What is today?"

"Saturday," Noriko answered.

"What time is it?"

"Oh, about three," she sighed. "Why?"

"How far are we from Konoha?" he blurted, struggling free of Manzo's grip.

"We're about five hours away," Goro, the team leader said. "Are you okay?"

Shikamaru looked his teammates over. They all were wounded in one way or another, although none of them badly. They all just looked like hell. "I gotta get home," he said, tightening some of the dingy bandages around his wounds.

"You're injured the most," Goro replied. "You have to stay with us."

"There's somewhere I have to be," he insisted.

"Geez, you're usually such a lazy guy," Noriko drawled. "Who set a fire under your ass?"

"None of your business," he growled. "I'm outta here."

"Hey!" Goro protested, but he was already sailing through the trees.


	6. Chapter 6 The festival

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! A couple of replies: **Epyon-Zero1**- eh, I write it for me, and if the readers are happy, then we're all lucky! That's why I like reviews; they let me know if what I needed to write made the readers happy. They also poke holes in my plots, alert me to discrepancies, and all sorts of good stuff. Thanks for your wonderful praise of my style! It's nice to be reassured I actually have a style. **Rain2004**- I'm really happy you think I'm keeping everyone in character. That means a lot to me, for the challenge of keeping the characters in their original character is one of the biggest reasons I write fanfiction. To **all** who left reviews, I really appreciate it. Your thoughts, opinions, etc. are all very important to me. I'd love to know what you thought of this latest installment. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

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His teammates hadn't lied- Konoha really was five hours away. He entered the town just before sunset, not bothering to look at all the decorations hung about. Would Ino still be waiting for him, or would she hate him for the rest of her days? He clenched his teeth and kept running, ignoring the burning in his legs and the pounding of his head. It felt like sparrows were trying to claw their way out of his stomach. Why was he even bothering to hurry? He shouldn't care what she thought. He didn't care what anyone else thought. As soon as the thought crossed his mind he knew it was stupid. Of course he cared about her, she was his friend. Despite how she acted, she was actually very capable of understanding him, and he thought she did. She was one of the few that had taken the time to do so, and, because of that, he wasn't going to let her down. He might be lazy, but he was loyal. 

He sped past pedestrians, narrowly avoiding shoving everyone aside as he desperately made his way towards the park near the river, where the main portion of the festival was held. Old ladies and children alike hastily stepped out of his path as he rushed towards the park, able to see the glow of the lanterns as darkness replaced the fading light. The sounds of voices raised in pleasure were carried by the winds to his ear, and even though he knew it was impossible, he tried to sift Ino's laugh from the noise. His heart hammered in his chest with both exertion and anxiety. What if she had decided to leave the festival, too ashamed that she had no one to accompany her? What if she was disappointed? What if she had gone and found someone else to give her an enjoyable evening? His heart lurched again and he wondered why he was so frantic. What did it matter?

It mattered because it was the right thing to do. Shikamaru might have been a lazy slob, but he always tried to do the right thing. Ino was his friend, and he would do right by her. A tiny voice in the back of his head whispered seductively that there was another reason he was doing it, but he dismissed such a thing as impossible. He was lucky enough that intelligent, smart, spirited, insane Ino was his friend. Thinking of her as anything else was sheer madness. Ino had moved on from Sasuke eventually, latching on to other boys, strings of them at a time. Sasuke- now there was an unfortunate bastard, he thought, then allowed his thoughts to rocket back to Ino. More often than not, Ino dumped the boys she dated, but she had cried on his shoulder after someone she cared about, or thought she cared about, left her. Stupid teenage relationships, he thought. That's why he wasn't interested. They were too much damn trouble.

He blew past several displays and food vendors, not even stopping as he grabbed a single flower from a florist and threw his coins on the counter. "Keep the change!" he cried out, nearly plowing over a middle-aged man, then put on an extra bit of speed. Sunset was nearing with every second, none of which he could spare. If only he could get there in time!

Rounding a corner, he dashed along the dirt road, a small cloud rising behind him as the dust settled on his sweaty, blood-streaked skin. He was a mess and he knew it, silently berating himself, then letting it go as he remembered there was nothing he could have done about it. The bridge appeared in his sights, and he willed his legs to keep running. His muscles were feeling like shredded, rubbery meat, the aches traveling up his legs and into his hips. In fact, he knew that if he stopped to pay attention to it, his entire body would feel like hell. The traffic on the road was surprisingly light, and as he neared the bridge he could see a lone figure standing in the middle, face turned towards the sun as it dipped towards the horizon. "Thank god," he whispered, and began to slow down, merely trotting as the soles of his sandals hit the wood of the old bridge.

The figure on the bridge was indeed Ino, her large, blue eyes widening as she took in the sight of him. Her face sagged a bit in an expression of sadness, her full lips turned slightly downward at the corners, her rosy cheeks pale. She was striking with her young figure, her hips and breasts just beginning to ripen beneath the fabric of her kimono. Her winter straw-colored hair was piled on top of her head and secured with jeweled hair sticks and combs, exposing her long, creamy-skinned neck. His mouth went dry as he took in the sight of her, the silk of her blue-violet kimono, which was embroidered with a pattern of vines in silver and gold thread, fluttering in the breeze. As she turned her head, the delicate, deeply sapphire earrings she wore bobbed to and fro. He swallowed hard and walked towards her, trying not to slouch and think too much about how dirty he was. Her eyes lit up as brightly as the sky, her pale skin touched with pink and gold from the setting sun, and her lips parted in a brilliant smile.

"Hey," he said, feeling awkward. He put a hand behind his head and offered her the flower with the other, arm extended. "I'm sorry I'm late. My mission ran long." He saw no need to tell her how he'd almost been in serious trouble, or how he'd run so hard to get to where they were standing.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, reaching for the flower, which he had just realized was a coral-colored rose. "For me?"

Shikamaru watched as her strong, slender fingers wrapped around the stem of the rose and gently took it from his grasp, cradling it gently as she brought it up to her nose.

"Yeah, for you," he murmured, looking down at his feet. He felt even more filthy standing next to her radiance.

"Wow, it smells so good!" she exclaimed. "And the hue isn't common in this area. I've never been given this color of rose before."

He blinked at her. "Oh… Good?"

She giggled and winked at him. "What do you think our friends would say if I told them what you gave me?"

Shikamaru groaned. He didn't want people to know he was giving Ino roses. "Let me guess, it has a meaning. I just picked it at random."

Her red lips continued to curve in a smile as she spoke. "All roses mean love, but this color also means desire."

Something constricted in his stomach, which in turn made his throat feeling like it was closing up. "Oh, okay," he mumbled, trying not to stammer. She lifted the rose to her nose again, closing her eyes as she sampled its scent. He noticed how thick and long her eyelashes were against the smooth, rosy skin of her cheek. "Uh, so I'm really, really sorry I'm late. Thanks for not giving up on me."

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, her gaze serious and soft all at the same time. Shikamaru growled inwardly at how annoyingly complex females were. He knew she was thinking something, but had no idea what it was. "I wouldn't give up on my best friend," she said, smiling. "I was worried, though. We can talk about it after the sun sets, okay?"

He nodded, surprised that she hadn't ordered him to run home immediately to put on some clean clothes. Turning and resting against the railing of the bridge, he felt her stand very near him, her body heat radiating through the silk of her outfit. He noticed that her obi was the same rosy-orange as the sunset, with hints of pale gold, with blue flowers stitched on it. The flower coordinated perfectly with it. A smile crept its way across his face, and he turned his attention back to the sunset. It was spectacular in its variety of colors, and for some reason he felt very insulated from the noise of the festival. The whole world consisted of him and Ino, watching the sun set in silence. It was a beautiful display, and just when he nearly felt himself lost in its glory, he felt a hand slip into his. He tensed, feeling the soft skin against his palm. No, it wasn't perfectly smooth- the fingers and palm were slightly calloused, as a ninja's hand should be. It was a hand of beauty and deadly strength. In that moment Shikamaru fully comprehended the power of a kunoichi.

The silence between them lasted until the sun disappeared behind the trees and mountains. Ino turned to him and squeezed his hand. "It was lovely, wasn't it?" she breathed, squeezing his hand.

Shikamaru nodded, staring at her. He hadn't known Ino could be so beautiful. He was so used to her screaming at him all the time that his thoughts of her were usually of her voice, not her appearance. His palm was sweating, he realized, and so he removed it from hers. "Oh, jeez, now your hand's dirty," he grumbled, whipping a clean rag from a vest pocket and wiping at her skin.

She giggled. "That's okay."

He stared at her. Since when was being filthy okay with Ino? Well, aside from when they were actually on missions? She had no problems being dirty then. Ino was full of steel on missions and only concentrated on what mattered. "Huh?" he replied, then nearly slapped himself for making such a stupid comment.

"Yeah, because we're going to your place right now and you're going to freshen up. It won't take you long, right?"

He blinked, feeling as if she was speaking a different language, she was so difficult to comprehend. How embarrassing it was for him, for such a genius to quickly become so stupid. "But my house is on the other side of town. Aren't we going to miss the festival?"

"Oh, come on," she said with a sigh, and grabbed his wrist. They bounded across the rooftops, using their training to their advantage, and were at his house within no time. A fresh round of sweat was trickling down his spine, but when he looked at her, not a single hair was out of place. Her cheeks weren't even flushed. Damn, how did she do that? He always looked like crap no matter how much he trained. His fingers formed the unlocking jutsu to his family home clumsily, then held the door for her as she walked inside.

"This'll just take a second," he said, moving up the stairs towards his room. Ino wandered about the living room, picking up ornamental objects his mother had placed around the room, examining them, and replacing them.

"I should hope so," she replied, arching an eyebrow at him.

He almost didn't want to leave, since he wanted to fill his senses with her as long as possible. He didn't think he'd ever forget the way she looked tonight. She made a gesture with her hands to hurry up, so he stepped lazily up the stairs until she could no longer see him, then he sprinted noiselessly to his room. An outfit was laid out on his bed, clothes he didn't recognize. For once he silently blessed his mother, for he knew that the new outfit was her doing. Maybe he'd actually look good enough to be seen with Ino, for a change. He flung himself into the shower, shaved, brushed his teeth, dried himself with a jutsu, and quickly pulled his unruly hair back into a topknot. Dashing back into his room, he threw on the clothes as quickly as he could, and then made his way downstairs as if he had taken all the time in the world. He appeared on the stairs and looked down at her, surprised as her eyes widened at the sight of him, then directed themselves at the floor as a blush spread across her cheeks.

Shikamaru glanced down at himself in a panic, afraid his fly was undone, then remembered that hakama didn't have a fly. His mother had chosen a very traditional outfit for him, but the colors were right for his skin and allowed lots of freedom of movement. Sometimes his mom was awesome. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, still blushing. "That was quick."

"Well, I'm pretty low-maintenance," he answered, slipping on his shoes and ushering her out the door.

"That's an understatement if I ever heard one," she laughed, throwing back her head.

He knew he should be insulted, but it was just Ino, his friend, teasing him. It was too troublesome to get wrapped around the little things. He knew what she meant, and that was good enough. In spite of himself, however, he found his own mouth curving in a slight smile. "Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Now let's get ourselves to this festival."

The grin she gave him in return lifted his heart as she grabbed his hand and towed him back towards the celebration.


	7. Chapter 7 The end of the festival

A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! Don't worry, Temari will show up in a few more chapters, and that doesn't mean that Ino will disappear. This is a longer chapter, and I hope you enjoy it.

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The lanterns were lit when they returned to the site of the festival, emitting a gentle glow. The multicolored globes gave the festival the appearance of an otherworldly celebration, one too fine for human participation. The park was filled with booths, selling food and goods, while people milled about. Music could be heard not too far off, but there were also wandering musicians and street performers. "Isn't this wonderful?" Ino exclaimed, clasping her hands together. He noticed she had tucked the rose in her obi. 

"It's nice," he replied. He liked seeing her so happy. It was kind of fun to have a pretty girl on his arm, too, even if they were just friends. "Hey, are you hungry?"

Ino scowled and swatted his arm. "Of course I'm hungry! I spent hours waiting on that bridge for you! And I want something good, too."

He sighed and rolled his eyes, then looked down to where her hand was resting on his forearm. "Okay, okay," he grumbled. Damn, she was a lot of trouble, and yet no trouble at all. He watched her as they walked, her posture straight, and realized that he was a head taller than she was. Blushing, he quickly looked away, realizing that he could see down the front of her clothes if he positioned his head just right. "Uh, thanks for waiting for me," he told her, trying to distract himself.

"No worries," she answered, then pointed at a food stall with the arm that wasn't entwined with Shikamaru's. "Hey, let's eat there."

"Sure." He led her to the booth, seating her at one of the tables next to the counter. The wind rustled through the trees, carrying the sound of stringed instruments and bamboo pipes to them, and the stars flickered in the sky above. Ino's face screwed up in concentration as she read the menu, then rattled off her order to him. He nodded and went to the counter, and after he placed their order noticed that the stand right across the street was offering more or less the same thing for half the price. He grimaced; it figured that Ino would punish him through his wallet. The meals arrived, he paid, and took the tray, carrying it over to their table. He served her, then himself, and sat down across from her, watching as she daintily began to devour her meal. It would never have occurred to him that someone could eat so quickly and still do it in a polite fashion. He realized that he was starving, too, and dug in. The noodles he had ordered were surprisingly good, and before he knew it, he had polished off his meal. "Sorry," he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I didn't mean to bolt my food."

She put down her own chopsticks. "That's okay, I was pretty hungry, too." Her plates were completely empty.

"Hey!" someone called out, and Shikamaru turned to see his friend Chouji walking towards them. At least he thought it was Chouji. Why Chouji would have such a stunning girl on his arm completely escaped Shikamaru, for the girl was easily the prettiest he had ever seen. Her silken, dark hair was pinned to the top of her head with small, butterfly-like clips, curling at the nape of her neck and in front of her perfect, porcelain ears. Her large, green eyes seemed to glow in the lamplight and every single facial feature was absolutely perfect. Her shoulders, breasts, hips, legs, and arms were all perfectly proportioned, and she walked with grace.

"Who is that he's with?" whispered Ino, eyes wide.

"I think that's Naomi," Shikamaru murmured, glancing from Naomi to Ino. Ino's eyes were a little wider-set than Naomi's, and her chin was a little stronger, perhaps more than could be deemed feminine. Her eyebrows were very light, not dark and shapely like Naomi's, and her mouth a little less full and perfect. Glancing between the two girls, he realized that Naomi was too perfect. She was beautiful, yes, but her beauty lacked the sincerity and earthiness of Ino's.

"Holy cow," Ino breathed. "She's way prettier than me."

Shikamaru laughed out loud, causing Chouji to raise an eyebrow as he neared with his date. "Ino," Shikamaru said quietly, "She couldn't possibly be prettier than you."

Ino's cheeks suddenly flamed with a blush, her blue eyes locking with his dark ones. "Really?" she asked, but Shikamaru never had time to answer, only to give her a genuine smile.

"Are we interrupting something?" Chouji asked, glancing between his friends.

"Naw," Shikamaru replied, standing. "I see you took my advice."

Chouji's friendly face split in a grin. "And you took mine."

Shikamaru shrugged. It was too much trouble to explain that Ino had actually asked him to the festival. "And this is?"

Chouji erupted in a fierce blush. "This is Naomi," he said tenderly, his hand on the small of the girl's back.

Ino sprang from her seat and took the girl's hand. "I'm Ino. I was on Chouji's genin team. It's so nice to meet you!"

"I'm Shikamaru. I'm glad to meet you," he said, extending his hand as well. Naomi's hand was smooth, but the skin was slightly leathery, as if her hands were in water too often.

"It's very nice to meet both of you," Naomi replied. Shikamaru scowled slightly. Even her voice was perfect. It was starting to get ridiculous. "I hear about you both all the time."

"They're my best friends," Chouji exclaimed, smiling at Naomi. The girl responded with her own blush.

The situation was getting a bit saccharine for Shikamaru's taste, and by the expression on Ino's face, it was for her, too. He could tell by the slight working of the corner of her mouth that she was trying to decide if Chouji and Naomi's cuteness was actually cute or if she wanted to throw up. "Hey," he interjected. "You're the one that makes those great lunches for Chouji, right?"

The new girl inclined her glossy head. "Yes. My family is fortunate to be employed by Chouji's family. They treat us very well, and so I do my best to treat them well in return." She looked at Chouji for a moment, her blush deepening. "Especially Chouji. He is the kindest of all."

"Awww," Ino exclaimed, and Shikamaru knew it was all over. "Cute" had won out. "Hey," she continued, "do you guys want to go dance with us?"

"Dance?" Shikamaru and Chouji groaned at the same time. Terror glistened in the portly boy's eyes, whereas annoyance marred Shikamaru's features.

"Yes," Ino declared, and it was just like old times. "Let's go, Naomi."

The boys followed behind the girls, who had linked arms and begun to chatter. Shikamaru could tell from the conversation that Ino's intellect was the sharper of the two, but Naomi was very sweet and gentle. "So you kiss her yet?" he whispered.

Chouji turned purple and shook his head violently. "Hell no! I don't even know if she likes me like that!"

"I think you could get away with it."

"Huh," the husky boy replied. "Have you kissed Ino?"

Shikamaru's scowl intensified. "Man, give it a rest. You know we're just friends, and you know she has a boyfriend."

"She always has a boyfriend!" Chouji whined softly. "It's now or never!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "We're only sixteen."

"And we might as well be thirty tomorrow, for all the thought you're showing the future."

Something went still in Shikamaru's chest. What about the future? What future? What wife, with the children, the girl born first, then the boy? "Whatever," he growled, peeved.

"I'm just saying," Chouji grunted, his eyes glued to the back of the girl in front of him.

Shikamaru elected not to say anything for the remainder of the walk, instead silently buying Ino whatever she wanted. She had him buy her a new bracelet made of lapis lazuli, a small lollipop, a bag of cotton candy (which she shared with Naomi), and a little something extra Shikamaru decided not to show her, slipping it into his pocket instead. Every once in a while she would turn and give him a brilliant smile, which would make his heart constrict every time he saw it. He realized that it was probably the same smile she gave to all males in order to get them to do things for her. She had no smile just for him.

They finally arrived at the place where dancing was being held. The courtyard was made of stone, and a group of musicians were playing on a raised platform at one end. The place was strung with small, electric lights, the bulbs small and white like stars. Streamers and flags were hung everywhere, and couples moved on and off the dance floor.

Ino led them to the far side of the courtyard, settling down on a stone bench, Naomi beside her. Chouji suddenly stepped forward, leaned over, and asked Naomi, voice trembling, "Would you like to dance?"

"Yes!" she cried, springing to her feet.

"Great!" Chouji sighed, gazing into her eyes. "But I can't really dance very well…"

Naomi giggled. "That's okay, I can't, either! We'll just have fun. It's not about looking good." Taking his hand, she pulled him onto the dance floor.

Shikamaru watched men's heads turn as Naomi passed, some of them shooting Chouji dirty looks. A lot of the guys seemed to want to dance with her, even trying to cut in, but Naomi only had eyes for Chouji. Shikamaru smiled; his friend deserved something special, something that other people wanted, for a change.

"What?" Ino asked, following his gaze.

"I was just thinking how lucky he is," he replied, sitting next to her on the bench.

Ino's fine eyebrows furrowed as she scowled, her eyes suddenly flickering with sapphire flame. "Oh? Because he's with her? Well, I'm sorry you're not lucky."

Shikamaru laughed and shook his head, which obviously wasn't what she expected, since her scowl deepened. "No, no. I am lucky to be here with you. I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else, really."

Her forehead relaxed and she raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "Then what?"

"I was just thinking how lucky he is to have a girl that likes him. Girls are a bother, that's for sure, but it must be nice to be so cared about."

Ino looked at him for a long time. "And you don't think people care about you?" she asked quietly.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Not that way. Probably never will."

"Why not?"

"Because they won't ever like me for me," he replied.

She sighed, still looking at him, then covered his hand with hers. "Actually, I understand," she murmured.

Shikamaru had to glance away in order to hide his blush. Dammit, part of him wished she'd just stop touching him. The rest of him wished she'd touch him more. "Hey, look," he said, pointing to distract her.

"What?" she asked sharply, then looked at who he was pointing at. He smirked as her jaw dropped, then chuckled as she began to sputter in surprise.

A tall, lean boy with black hair was leading a pink-haired girl onto the dance floor. She looked absolutely mortified, her sea-green eyes cast downward as she shuffled after the boy, who was gathering a lot of stares.

"He actually got her to go with him," Shikamaru said.

"Show how much you know," Ino giggled, sticking out her tongue at him. "He's been taking her out somewhere at least once a week for two months now."

Shikamaru grunted. "Oh well. You gotta admit, though, this is priceless."

Ino grinned as Lee struck a few poses, proclaiming something loudly. Sakura looked directly at the ground, face flaming red. She didn't look as if she was enjoying herself. To Shikamaru's surprise, everyone backed up towards the edge of the dance floor, giving the couple plenty of room. Sakura's head shot up and she looked about her, her face blank with alarm. "Oh man," Ino chortled. "This IS priceless! I can't wait to get her about this later!"

Shikamaru shook his head. Ever since the return of Sasuke, Ino and Sakura had become friends once more. They had finally realized that he would never love either of them as they deserved to be loved, and so had become his most protective friends instead. He never knew what had happened between the three, but it had been oddly tidy. "Something's up," he murmured to Ino, and they watched as the musicians started a new tune.

It started slowly enough, with Lee merely taking Sakura's hands in his and gently leading her around the cleared space. She refused to look at his face, looking everywhere else instead. Shikamaru chuckled as the pace of the music picked up, and Lee began to twirl Sakura about. Her eyes widened and her fingers turned white as they gripped his body, but Lee wouldn't let her falter, instead making the dance appear effortless. Their bodies swirled and whirled across the stones as the music worked up to a fever pitch, and then suddenly halted, Sakura held in a deep dip move by the young man. His dark eyes sparkled, and he shot her a flashy grin as she clutched at his shoulders, eyes wide. Standing to the applause of the audience, he helped Sakura back to an upright position, holding her as she shook. She took a few tentative steps, then turned to Lee and grabbed his hands, getting ready for another dance with a smile.

"Passion," Ino said, smiling. "She's a passionate girl. He's what she needs."

Shikamaru nodded, thinking that he wouldn't have paired them together, but it seemed to work. He could see how they would balance one another. If anyone could get Lee to stop doing stupid things, it was Sakura.

Something else caught his attention, and he looked over to see Naruto struggling in the grip of a younger girl with dark red hair that was pulled into pigtails. "Please?" she was begging, little red blushing circles on her cheeks.

"Moegi, I don't wanna dance!" Naruto complained, twisting his body around in an attempt to escape.

"How the mighty have fallen," Shikamaru chuckled, and Ino immediately picked up on what he was seeing.

"Oh god, she actually got him to go with her."

"Huh?"

"That's Konohamaru's little friend. She's had a crush on Naruto for years."

Shikamaru's jaw dropped slightly. "So isn't she thirteen or something?"

Ino made a face. "Yeah."

"Eww."

"Yeah."

"No!" Naruto shouted, closing his eyes and half-dragging the girl away from the dance floor.

"Ha ha!" someone laughed, and Kiba appeared out of the crowd.

"Oooh, he's bitter because Naruto's a jounin and he isn't," Ino murmured.

"Shut up, dog breath!" Naruto growled.

"You shut up, dumbass!" Kiba snapped in return.

"Please," someone said. "This is a celebration. You shouldn't be fighting."

"Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed, finally breaking Moegi's grip. "How are you? How are the jounin exam preparations going?"

"Oh, N-Naruto-kun, I think I'll make it this time."

"I know you will!" the blonde boy said, reaching forward and squeezing Hinata's shoulder.

"Thank you," she replied, cheeks rosy.

"Hey," Kiba snarled. "Keep your hands off my date."

"I can touch her if I want to, so long as it's okay with her," Naruto spat in return.

"Naruto, let's dance!" Moegi pleaded.

"It's not okay with her!" Kiba shouted, teeth bared.

"Is it okay with you, Hinata?" Naruto demanded.

Shikamaru moaned and shook his head, putting his forehead in his hand. "Oh my god, they're acting like they're still six years old," he groaned.

Hinata looked back and forth between the boys. "Yes, it's okay with me," she said, and didn't stutter once.

"Go!" Ino cheered, loudly enough that Shikamaru was afraid that they'd be caught eavesdropping.

"Hey!" he hissed, scooting closer and clamping his hand over her mouth.

She said something that was muffled because of his hand, then licked his palm. He shuddered and let go, recoiling in disgust, but she merely leaned into his side, smiling evilly. "That's what you get," she sneered.

"Ugh," Shikamaru said, looking up just in time to see Naruto's face break out in a grin.

"Hey, Hinata, do you want to dance?" the blond jounin asked.

"Yes, I do," she replied, and took his hand. The moved out on to the dance floor, smiling at one another.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto screamed above the heads of the crowd. "Look who I got to dance with me!"

"Oh, Naruto," Ino sighed.

Sakura's head swiveled towards her teammate as Lee continued to twirl her about. "Good job, Naruto!" she cried out, and was then swept away again by the black-haired boy.

"Aw man," Kiba groaned, plopping down on the ground. Akamaru, who Shikamaru had noticed waiting in the bushes, bounded over.

Moegi, who was also seeming dejected, glanced over at the full-grown dog. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "He got so big! I remember when he was just a puppy."

Kiba looked up at her. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah! He was cute then, and now he's grown up into such a handsome dog!"

Kiba's expression brightened a little. "You like dogs?"

"Oh yes. I love dogs. My parents wouldn't let me have a dog, because we don't have a yard."

"That's really sad," Kiba said with a sigh, looking Moegi up and down. Shikamaru was thinking that she certainly didn't look thirteen, not with that kind of body. "Hey, you have pretty hair. What was your name?"

"Moegi," the girl replied, suddenly shy. "I'm glad you like my hair."

Kiba stood up, brushing off the seat of his pants. "Say, do you want to dance? And then we can walk Akamaru?"

"Sure!" the girl said, and soon they were also lost in the crowd.

"Eww," Ino remarked. "Isn't that against the law or something, to go out with someone that much younger than you?"

"Oh, like Kiba's more than six years old, mentally," Shikamaru replied. "Moegi could probably mop the sidewalk with him."

Ino laughed. "Yeah, okay, you're right."

"Besides, who knows if he's even interested in her romantically? Maybe they'll just be good friends," he offered.

"Yeah, like us," Ino replied.

Shikamaru felt the mirth fade from his face. "Yeah, just like us," he murmured. "Well, it's funny to see people pairing off."

"It is. I saw Neji and Tenten together, and Asuma finally started dating Kurenai."

Shikamaru casually flung his arm around Ino's shoulders, since she was still leaning on him. He hoped she would only take it as an indication of their friendship. "Wow, did she finally get him to stop smoking?"

"Kind of. He's eating incredible amounts of sunflower seeds now."

"That's not much better."

Ino laughed. "No, I didn't think so, either."

"Hey, Ino?" Shikamaru asked softly.

"Yeah?"

He swallowed hard, feeling a strange knot in his throat. "Do you want to dance?"

Ino pulled away from him and smiled. "Sure. I thought you'd never ask!"

Shikamaru scowled as he stood up, offering her his hand. "You could have asked me, you know."

Her smile widened into a grin. "I know, but where would the fun be in that? Besides, I asked you to the festival."

"Yeah, okay," he grumbled as he led her onto the dance floor. The musicians started a sweet, slow tune, and so he gently took her hand and put the other one on her back. "I'm not good at this," he admitted.

"You're a genius and a ninja," she replied. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

He led Ino slowly across the dance floor, impressed by how easily she followed his lead. Her lithe body was graceful no matter how he asked her to move, and he felt his palms begin to sweat against her kimono. He could feel her supple curves through the silk and had to really concentrate to keep from imagining the bare skin beneath. Thank goodness his hakama was so loose, for having her so close was driving him crazy.

Before he knew it the song was over, and Ino had him dance with her time and time again. They bumped into Chouji again, who looked absolutely beatific, and Naomi seemed overjoyed as well. Hinata and Naruto said hello, smiling and laughing. Hinata seemed to have lost some of her stutter. Lee and Sakura spun by, Ino sending her friend a sly wink, and even Neji and Tenten acknowledged their existence. Kurenai and Asuma were lurking at the edges, surreptitiously grabbing parts of one another's anatomy every so often, and Shikamaru thought he might have seen Shino with a tall, somber-looking girl. Even Gai was there, with either Anko or Shizune, either of which seemed terrifying to Shikamaru's mind. He was happy he hadn't had a chance to look closely.

Then, before he could blink, the festival was coming to an end. The clock struck midnight , marking the end of the first day of the season, and the musicians began to play one more song. The tempo was slow, and as Shikamaru took Ino into the formal dancing stance, she suddenly threw her arms around his neck and pressed him close, holding the rose he had given her in the fingers of her right hand.

"I-Ino," he stammered, then silently cursed himself for sounding unsure.

"Shut up," she murmured, resting her head against his chest. He tightened his arms around her waist, closing his eyes and simply experiencing the warmth and feel of her. The scent of her silky hair wafted up to him, as well as the milk-and-honey smell of her skin, ever so faintly touched by a hint of violet. He felt utterly at peace, his busy mind stilled, only his body receiving sensation. It was as good as watching the clouds. No, it was better. He felt free in her embrace.

The song ended and he reluctantly released her. She took a step back, looking up into his eyes. Hers were the color of the sky and just as endless. Her cheeks were rose-colored and the skin of her chest and neck was flushed. She barely came up to his shoulder, and Ino wasn't a short woman.

"Walk me home?" she asked, voice small.

"Of course," he replied, and, feeling bold, took her hand in his. He squeezed it gently, she returned the pressure, and they walked soundlessly towards her house, lost in the departing crowds. She had a strange expression on her face, but he smiled down at her, and when she looked up at him, her face relaxed as smiled back. They walked through town until they reached her street. As they stood under the streetlight, everyone passed by them, and soon they were alone. The night breeze blew past them, lifting strands of Ino's golden hair from captivity, making her face seem framed by a halo. She was so beautiful and somehow so pure that it nearly broke his heart.

"I had a really great time," she murmured, something shimmering in her eyes as she looked up at him, resting her hand on his chest. "Thank you for taking me."

"It was my pleasure," he replied, and he meant it with all his soul.

"Shikamaru," she began, a strange, slightly pained look crossing her face for a moment, then was suddenly up on tiptoe. Her nose passed close to his and he closed his eyes, feeling her nuzzle his face. Tentatively he nuzzled back, holding his breath to keep from panting. His whole body was suffused with a sweet warmth, and suddenly her full lips were pressed against his, probing. He kissed her back before he even knew what he was doing, and then suddenly she was away from him, walking slowly backwards as her clear, blue eyes studied him.

He watched her go, breathless, stunned, and unfathomably, inexplicably happy, and he jammed his hands into his pockets, holding her gaze. His fingers brushed against something in his pocket and immediately he remembered the earrings he bought for her. He took a few steps toward her, but she was already turning away, fading into darkness as she left the circle of the streetlight.

"Ino," he said softly, hoping to get her attention, but at the same time another voice called out her name. That voice echoed between the buildings, making Ino's body snap around with attention. Instantly she started to run towards a figure in the darkness, a male, well-built figure.

"Toru!" she cried, her back all that was visible to him.

He watched her go, watched the other boy scoop her up in a fierce embrace. What had that wounded look been on her face? Did she love him?

Shikamaru shook his head, sighing.

No, she didn't.

He watched her go into the house, the young man following her, the two hand-in-hand. The door shut, but he could still hear Ino's excited squeals from down the street. He wondered if she would put the rose he had given her in a vase, or if she would just throw it away. Turning, he walked off into the night.

He wondered, as he walked away, did he love her?

Stopping, he turned and looked at her house one last time.

Possibly.


	8. Chapter 8 Chat and gathering

A/N: Here's another chapter before the weekend. I hope you don't think Shikamaru's out of character; remember that he's a teenager and goes through all the awkwardness that time of life can yield. However, since he's so intelligent, he's even more painfully aware of himself than a normal person, and that invites even more trouble. Hopefully I've still kept him Shikamaru, though. He'll grow up more in chapters to come. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think, if you're so inclined.

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Shikamaru slid into the booth across from Chouji, surprised to find food waiting for him. His friend was already eating, watching him with his brown eyes, noodles sliding into his mouth. Shikamaru tried to smile a little at the other boy, but the confusion of the night of the festival still hung over him. 

"Hey," Chouji said, swallowing his noodles. "How's it going?"

"Okay," Shikamaru said. "Thanks for ordering for me."

"You always get the same thing, so it's not difficult. It's one time I'm sorta glad it's too much trouble for you to change things up."

"Yeah, I guess," Shikamaru replied, opening his napkin and preparing his chopsticks. "So, you mentioned you wanted to talk about something?"

A grin split Chouji's face. "Yeah. Thanks for coming."

"You offered to buy me lunch. Of course I came," Shikamaru said with a smirk. Chouji chuckled, wiping his mouth. "But you know I would have come anyway. I'm curious as to what happened that could get you so worked up."

"I know you'd meet me, regardless. That's why you're my best friend."

Shikamaru pushed around the udon in his bowl. "So? What's up?"

Chouji's cheeks turned a shade of crimson and he smiled, his eyes glazing over slightly. "I think I have a girlfriend!"

The chopsticks started to slide from Shikamaru's hand and he caught them again just before they hit the table. "Woah. The festival went that well for you?" he asked with a slight curvature of the corner of his mouth.

"Last night was the best night of my life," Chouji confided.

"So what happened?"

"I walked Naomi home, and as we were standing at the door, she was looking at me with this strange expression on her face, and so I leaned closer. She didn't seem to mind, so I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Man, she grabbed the back of my head and just started making out. We're going to go to the park this evening."

Shikamaru stared at his friend, mouth open in shock. Sure, he knew that Chouji was a great guy, but Naomi was gorgeous. Well, Chouji deserved her. He'd been ostracized for so long that it was really nice to see something happen to him that most people would envy. Shikamaru glanced around the restaurant, making sure no one was listening in on their conversation. It wouldn't do to be overheard talking about girls. Chouji was the only teenage boy he knew that would call another guy friend to recap his date the night before. Huh, maybe that was one of the reasons Naomi seemed to like Chouji so much. He was a "sensitive" guy. "Congrats," he said with a small smile.

"Oh yeah, it's great," Chouji beamed. "She's really wonderful. I can't believe she likes me!"

"Why not? You're a talented guy."

Chouji's brow furrowed slightly. "Uh, okay, but I'm so, uh, husky…"

Shikamaru waved a hand. "Whatever. Some girls like the big boys. Very few people in this village are as strong as the Akimichi clan. That probably turns her on."

The grin returned to Chouji's face. "Cool."

"Yeah. Good job."

Chouji spent a few minutes wolfing down food as Shikamaru slowly consumed his udon. "So," the larger boy finally asked, "How was your date?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. He didn't want to talk about his "date." Guys didn't talk about their feelings, or their dates. "It was okay," he replied, stirring the broth of his meal. Silence hung between them for a few moments. "I think I'm going to take the jounin exam."

The chopsticks in Chouji's hand clattered to the floor. The boy's eyes were wide and his jaw was slack. "What?" he said loudly. "The jounin exam?"

"Hey," Shikamaru said sharply. "Keep it down."

"Sorry," Chouji whispered. "What made you change your mind?"

"I'm tired of doing jounin work without getting paid jounin rates," he explained. "It's just too troublesome."

"Wow, Ino will be so happy to hear! Asuma, too."

Shikamaru shrugged as if it didn't matter to him. "Oh? Why would Ino care?"

Chouji sighed. "She talks about it all the time. 'Shikamaru's better than all the other chuunins. He should take the exam.' And so on."

"Yeah, whatever."

He waited as Chouji got a new pair of chopsticks and commenced eating once more. His own udon was waiting, so he ate for a while until he realized his friend was staring at him "So?" Chouji asked.

"What?"

"How was your date with Ino?"

Shikamaru's permanent frown deepened. "It wasn't a date, Chouji."

The boy's eyebrows raised a bit, but he didn't make further comments. "Well? Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, we had fun."

"You guys danced together for a long time."

Shikamaru's face heated up, and he scowled into his lap. He could completely recreate the feel of Ino's waist between his hands and the smell of her hair if he thought about it. For some reason, it was sort of painful to think about. "Yeah. She likes to dance."

"And then you walked her home."

"Yeah. And then her boyfriend showed up."

Chouji's face drooped. "Oh."

Shikamaru stabbed an udon noodle with uncharacteristic vehemence. "Yeah."

Awkward silence settled between them, but it faded as they finished their meals. Shikamaru stood up, tossed his napkin on the table, and clapped Chouji on the shoulder. "You have to go?" Chouji asked.

"I should. I promised my mom I'd run some errands for her. I gotta work even on my days off."

"Okay."

"Hey, I'm really happy for you. Have fun with Naomi," Shikamaru said.

Chouji grinned again, his whole face lighting up. "I will. See you later."

"Yup," Shikamaru said, and walked out of the restaurant.

He wandered back home, helped his mother run errands, then set out in the late afternoon for his cloud-watching spot. He sat down in the grass and gazed up at the sky, waiting for the familiar feeling of peace and relaxation take over him. The feeling did not come. Instead, his mind swirled with snippets from the night before. Ino's eyes danced in front of him once again, her lips curving in a smile and her pale throat quivering with laughter. He felt a warm stirring deep in his abdomen and adjusted his trousers, scowling as hard as he could. Dammit, this was exactly why girls were too much trouble. He didn't want to have anything to do with them. It only took him a few minutes to realize that cloud watching was not in his future for that evening, and so he took off to the park to play shougi with some of the retired old ninjas that spent all their time there.

The next day he woke up feeling much the same, going through the motions of routine. He was on his way to give watching the sky another shot when he saw Kiba shoot by him. "Hey!" the boy shouted, his hood thrown back. "Party at Chouji's!"

Shikamaru frowned harder and watched Kiba continue to tear down the street towards the café Chouji's family owned. The Akimichi clan might not have been the most prestigious family in town, but they were definitely one of the wealthier ones. Still, why would Chouji throw a party and not invite him? He immediately suspected that it probably wasn't Chouji starting the party, only paying for it. Sighing, he looked up at the sky. The color still reminded him of Ino's eyes. Well, why shouldn't he go to the party? He still had one more day off, so it might be just fine. Besides, maybe he'd get to see Chouji and Naomi interacting. He was pretty certain the girl's intentions were pure, but he wanted to make sure. Nodding to himself, he followed Kiba's trail towards the Akimichi's café.

Pushing open the door, he realized that the place was absolutely packed with people he knew. Naruto and Kiba were dancing on a table, whooping and screaming, with Lee nearby, cheering them on. Tenten was sitting next to Neji on a bench, occasionally leaning over and whispering things to him that made him smirk and her smile. Shikamaru thought it was probably some sort of scathing social commentary. Tenten was actually a very sweet girl, but Neji, while greatly improved, still enjoyed comments at other people's expense. No doubt Tenten was just doing it to impress him. Shikamaru wondered if she'd ever realize she didn't have to do that to win his affection. Sakura was seated next to Lee, but not too close to him, watching him out of the corner of her eye. Finally he spied Chouji and Naomi seated in a corner booth, another girl sitting with them.

"Hey," Shikamaru said, sliding into the booth next to the girl.

"Hi!" Chouji said, the girls echoing him. Naomi's arm was entwined with his, and he could tell they were holding hands underneath the table.

"Some party," Shikamaru grunted. "You paying?"

Chouji's face fell. "I think so, yeah," he grumbled.

"It'll be okay," Naomi said, stroking his arm. "I prepared a lot of food in advance, and I'll help you clean up afterwards."

Shikamaru examined Naomi closely, watching the way her dark green eyes affectionately moved over his friend's face. She was nearly as tall as Chouji was, which was a good thing, in his opinion. Chouji would most likely end up being very tall and would need a woman with substantial height. She also seemed genuinely concerned about him, and happiness filled his heart for his friend. Chouji deserved joy.

"I'll help, too," the girl sitting next to him said, startling him out of his thoughts. Hinata was at his side, smiling gently. She was growing up to be pretty, too, with flawless skin and slim limbs.

"Hi, Hinata," Shikamaru said, wondering if he should apologize for not greeting her earlier, then deciding that it was too much of a pain.

"Hi," she said. "I hear that you're taking the jounin test. I'll be taking it this time, too."

"Whaaaat?" someone shouted from beside him. "Shikamaru's taking the jounin test?"

Shikamaru grimaced and slowly turned to the person standing next to him. Ino was staring down at him, on the arm of a good-looking, muscular guy. "Yeah, I am," Shikamaru replied. "So what?"

"I didn't think you were EVER going to take the exam!" she exclaimed, releasing her boyfriend. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Whatever," he growled.

"Hinata's taking it, too," Chouji offered.

Ino nearly shoved Shikamaru on the floor as she wormed past him to sit next to Hinata. "Oh, that's great!" she squealed, and he sat down at a table nearby, letting the blonde girl twitter away. Ino's boyfriend sat down across from him. Shikamaru felt really skinny and pasty next to the brawny guy, who probably didn't have problems with patchy facial hair.

"So you're Shikamaru, eh?" the guy said, reaching across the table and offering his hand.

Shikamaru clasped it and pumped it once. "Yeah. You must be Toru?"

"Yeah. Thanks for taking Ino to the festival. She had a great time. I'm sorry I couldn't be there."

Shikamaru nodded, trying not to glare at Toru. Dammit, why did Ino's boyfriend have to be a nice guy? It was much more difficult for him to hate nice guys. He really couldn't blame her for dating guys that were nicer, more athletic, and more good-looking than he was. "Well, she's one of my best friends. I'd do anything for her," Shikamaru said before the words really penetrated his brain. Once they did sink in he blushed, worried about how he sounded.

"I hear a lot about you," Toru said. "You have quite a reputation as the jounin who's still a chuunin."

Shikamaru nodded, suddenly cautious. He hadn't needed to wonder if he was the subject of gossip; it was obvious, even to a socially unrefined genius. He did wonder, however, if the young man in front of him was prone to listening to gossip. "Well, I'll be taking the next exam, so hopefully all that garbage will cease."

Toru grinned. His smile and teeth were absolutely perfect. "Don't you hate how people gossip? It never made much sense to me."

Dammit, Toru was not only nice, but he was mature and had similar values to himself. The situation was just getting worse and worse. The guy had to be at least eighteen. Maybe that would be a good reason to dislike him? "Yeah, me, neither," he grunted.

Shikamaru was spared further conversation by a loud crash- Kiba had pushed Naruto off of one of the tables. Naruto jumped up, shouting, and suddenly Shino was there, restraining Kiba as Hinata rushed over. "Wow, pretty rough," Toru commented.

"Can you believe Naruto's a jounin?" Shikamaru sighed.

Toru laughed, the sound warm and rich. He had a deeper voice than Shikamaru in that well-muscled chest. "Hey, fighting skill has nothing to do with personality. But I think I know why Kiba hasn't been allowed to take the test yet by Kurenai-san."

Shit, Shikamaru really liked Toru. Ino would probably marry him. The guy was perfect. "Yeah. Kiba's strong, and he's great on a team, but he needs to learn how to lead first."

"Leading is difficult," Toru said. "I've heard you're good at it."

"Only when I have to be," Shikamaru said, and was rewarded with another warm chuckle.

"It's hard to say which is more efficient: expending only the amount of energy needed to complete a task, then returning to resting inertia, or expending more and getting the job done more quickly, keeping up moving inertia."

"I like the former."

"Nothing wrong with that."

Shikamaru took a deep breath. "I hope you really like Ino. I know she's more than strong enough to take care of herself, but if you hurt her, Chouji and I will have to hunt you down, of course."

Toru smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't expect anything less from friends of Ino's."

Shikamaru scowled. "Yeah." He glanced around, seeing that the situation with Naruto and Kiba was simply dragging more people into the mix. Sakura was trying to pound Naruto while Lee was trying to reason with Kiba. Things only got worse when Hinata got involved. "Excuse me," he said to the other male, casting a glance at where Ino was talking animatedly to Chouji and Naomi. Sauntering over to the group, he made a quick series of seals with his hands. "Kagemane no jutsu," he mumbled, and suddenly all movement in the group ceased. "I'm tired of this crap," Shikamaru announced, and flung his arms wide. So did everyone else in the group. Suddenly he leaned forward, closing his arms around the empty air as if embracing someone. Yowls arose from the group as they all commenced hugging one another, Naruto and Kiba screaming the loudest. "Now let's all be friends, shall we?"

"Shikamaru!" he heard Ino growl behind him. "That wasn't very nice."

"Oh, I thought it was very appropriate," Toru said, putting an arm around her waist.

"Whatever," Shikamaru grunted, releasing the jutsu. Everyone involved toppled to the ground. He stared into Ino's eyes for a long moment, memorizing their color and the way her dark pupils searched his face, then stepped away and moved towards the entrance.

"Thanks for the great party, Chouji," he said, waving to his friend and only meaning his words to be half-sarcastic. Chouji waved back. Nodding, Shikamaru went out the door.

He walked home, paying little attention to his surroundings, and joined his parents for supper. His father had also had the day off, and so the whole family was gathered at the dinner table. It was getting rather late, but his mother put the food on the table, had Shikamaru serve his elders, and they began to eat.

"I'm taking the jounin exam," he announced, and his mother dropped her fork. For a moment he thought she was going to go into screaming mode, for her entire body tensed and her hands curled into fists.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she cried, beaming. "My baby boy is growing up!"

His father's gaze was hard. "There goes your free time," he muttered.

"What free time? You know they're already sending me on jounin-level missions."

His father nodded. "I know. But you're going to have to train every day from now until the exam, whether you're on a mission or not. You have your mother's brains, but you don't have her stamina."

"And?" Shikamaru asked.

"And so I guess I had better start teaching you everything I know."

Shikamaru smiled slightly. "I knew you were holding out on me, old man."

"That means you had better be home on time when you get back from missions, Shikato," his mother snapped. Father and son sighed simultaneously. Over the years Shikamaru had come to realize that his mother was such a nag because his dad was so incredibly irresponsible. He was pretty much resigned to having a nagging wife as well, not because he was irresponsible or anything (his mother had seen to that), but because he was incorrigibly lazy.

Shikamaru cleared the table as his parents bickered, wondering why they stayed together. He recalled at that moment the passionate noises he sometimes heard at night. As he washed the dishes, he vowed that he and his wife would do more things together than just roll around in the sack.

He could still hear his parents exchanging sharp remarks as he made his way upstairs. He shut the door to the bathroom and showered, wiping the steam off of the mirror. A boy looked back at him with patchy whiskers and wiry hair. His skin was clear but his complexion wasn't particularly great; it was actually sort of pasty, especially considering all the time he spent sleeping in the sun. The eyes were slightly slanted and rather small, the color an unremarkable brown. It wasn't even a dark, rich, chocolate brown, just plain, old, nasty brown. His mouth was twisted slightly, as if he tasted something bad, the semi-full lips seeming pinched. His nose was okay, but nothing special, and the same went for his chin. His body was strong but still boyishly scrawny. The person in front of him looked insolent, lazy, unremarkable, and unlovable. No wonder Ino went for guys like Toru. Sighing, he hung up his towel, turned out the light, and went to bed.


	9. Chapter 9 Matchmaking and towels

A/N: Here's another update, obviously. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Sorry to those of you that think that Shikamaru's out of character. Remember, he's growing up, and he is going to change throughout the course of the story. Hormones do terrible things to people, after all. Also, Temari will be showing up in the next few chapters, so please stay tuned. Thanks to those of you who reviewed, and if you feel inclined to review again or for the first time, it's always appreciated.

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Shikamaru rustled his paycheck in his pocket, meandering homeward for the first time in several weeks. The last mission had gone quite successfully; his teammates had been very excited to hear that he was going to take the exam. At least he had some guys on his team at present. With his luck he'd probably get paired up with all girls. Again. Always with girls. It was so annoying.

He was almost home when he ran into Naruto and Hinata, strolling down the street in the opposite direction. They were standing very closely to one another but not touching, Hinata's cheeks stained red and Naruto glancing about nervously every once in a while. Naruto caught sight of him and waved, and Hinata turned her head as well. She said a few words to Naruto and walked over, the blonde following her. "Hi, Shikamaru," she said softly but without hesitation.

"Hi guys," he replied, not stopping his progress home.

The other two fell in step with him. "I was wondering if we could train together sometime," she asked him.

He clenched his teeth. Great, now he had to train with a girl, too. Oh well, at least Hinata wasn't as awful as most teenage girls. He still didn't like girls much, which made him resent the fact that he was attracted to them all the more. Still, even though it would be a pain, it couldn't hurt to train for the exam. "Yeah, all right. Just come find me when you're ready."

"Okay," Hinata said. "Thank you very much!" She seemed about to say more, then lowered her eyes and slowed her pace. Naruto sighed and elbowed her gently in the ribs. "O-oh, and would you be on my team when we take the exam? If we get to choose?"

Shikamaru groaned inwardly once more. "Sure thing, Hinata." Annoyed, he decided to strike back. He wasn't sure why, but he had been feeling rather cranky and petty as of late. "Hey Naruto, aren't you scared I'm going to take your girlfriend away from you by spending so much time with her?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Naruto said. "She's just my best friend."

Hinata's facial expression fell and she looked at the ground. "I'm happy to be your friend, Naruto," she added softly.

Something in his stomach fell and he realized how he had hurt the sweet, gentle girl. Cursing himself, he took a deep breath. "Well, Naruto, sometimes best friends are also the best people to fall in love with. You know, Hinata's liked you for years."

Hinata's face instantly turned crimson and she looked at the ground, mouth moving but not emitting any sound. She looked pained, her arms wrapping tightly around herself and her shoulders hunching forward. Naruto looked stunned, as if someone had hit him in the back of the head with a brick. It was almost like he was unconscious with his eyes open. "What?" he finally said, his eyes sliding over to the girl. "Hey, Hinata, is that true?"

"You guys have been hanging out constantly for weeks and you seriously had no clue?" Shikamaru asked, rolling his eyes. "She couldn't have been making it more obvious."

Naruto scratched his head. "Hey, Hinata," he said gently, but she merely turned her back to him. "Hinata, is Shikamaru telling the truth? I want to hear it from you."

Shikamaru walked away, feeling bad that he had embarrassed Hinata and hoping he had done the right thing. The girl's feelings for Naruto had been obvious for years, and he thought it was finally time she did something about it, especially before she took the exam. Being a ninja was a dangerous thing; as a result, the people that wanted relationships had to form them early, for there was no telling how long a ninja's life would last. Shikamaru was lazy, it was true, but he also believed in getting things done before he died.

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun," he heard Hinata say behind him, her voice surprisingly firm. "I have liked you for a very long time."

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed, their voices getting more faint as he walked away. "Well, I think you're really pretty, and I like you, too. Do you want to go on a date?"

"N-Naruto-kun!" she squealed, and he couldn't resist turning around. He saw what he had expected to see: Hinata's arms thrown around Naruto, her body mashed against his. Naruto had a dopey grin on his face, and Shikamaru felt that he had done the right thing. Might as well give Hinata a reason to like him, if they were going to take the exam together, he figured.

He finally arrived home, eager to get the grime off of his body. The mission had been another one of those run-around-in-the-woods-for-days sort of mission, and he had been fantasizing about a shower for at least a week. He hadn't been injured, but he also hadn't been able to get all the crusted blood of his enemies off of him, either. Pushing open the door to his house, he was surprised to find no one home. Happy about his luck, he trudged upstairs and went straight to the bathroom. He showered, pulled his wet hair up in a sloppy ponytail, and wrapped the towel around his waist. Looking in the mirror, he realized that his face was a little scruffy, so he spent a while shaving. Finally satisfied, he shuffled into his room, throwing the door wide.

Jumping back, he saw that there was somebody already in his room. "What in the hell are you doing here?" he snapped, clutching the towel around his hips.

"Oh, Shikamaru!" Ino sobbed, rising from his bed and throwing her arms around his damp shoulders.

He blushed fiercely at the feeling of her bare arms sliding across his naked skin, intensely wishing he was wearing actual clothing. His towel wouldn't hide anything if he got overexcited. Being a teenaged boy was really awful, he decided. He awkwardly put an arm around her, still holding his towel tightly with the other hand. "Hey, hey," he murmured to her, patting her back as he had learned to do years ago. For someone who desperately wanted to be an antisocial hermit, Ino had managed to teach him quite a bit about what a social being was expected to do. She was making him irritatingly functional. "What's the matter?"

"I broke up with Toru!" she wailed.

Shikamaru loathed the sudden, excited pounding of his heart. He especially felt bad because he had genuinely liked Toru. "What happened?" he asked.. He was so used to asking these precise questions in the same order that he almost did it without thinking. It felt more like a ritual he performed with Ino rather than a conversation.

"I dumped him because he was too clingy. He was really nice, but he wanted all of my time, and he wanted to do stuff constantly. He just wanted too much."

He led her back to his bed and sat her down on the edge, sitting awkwardly next to her. His chest and arms seemed scrawnier than ever to him, probably more than they actually were, his limbs gangly now that he was so exposed to her. He put his free hand on his thigh, looking at it so that he wouldn't have to look at her. She reached out and grabbed his hand, holding on to it with a strange ferocity. "I'm sorry, Ino. He seemed like a really nice guy."

"He WAS a really nice guy. Too nice, sometimes. Not interesting enough, you know?" she sniffled, wiping her eyes with her left hand, her right still clutching his.

"Uh, Ino?" he asked.

She looked up at him, light blue eyes wide. The skin around her eyes was slightly puffy, and her cheeks looked red and raw, but other than that, she was still striking. She gripped his hand more tightly and brought it up to her chest. "Yes, Shikamaru?" she whispered.

He glanced at her askance. Was she sparkling? He felt his hand pressed against her bosom and blushed. "Is it okay if I put some clothes on?"

Her eyes lost their sparkle and her fine eyebrows pulled together in a scowl. "Fine," she growled, releasing his hand abruptly. He watched in detached horror as his hand fell into her lap, right in between her legs. The first thing that registered in his head was how warm the space between her thighs was, and the second thing was the blinding pain he felt as she punched him in the face. The blow knocked him off the bed and onto the floor, the towel coming free as he fell. Before he knew it he was facedown, thankfully, on the floor, completely naked.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he shouted, covering the back of his head and neck with his arms, fully expecting blows to rain down upon him. He heard nothing but silence and slowly rotated his torso, wondering what was going on. Ino was still seated on the bed, legs tightly crossed and resolutely looking at the ceiling. Her face was bright red and her lips were pursed. "Uh, hand me my towel?" he asked, and she groped around for it and threw in his direction without once taking her gaze form the ceiling. "Thanks," he said, wrapping it around himself and slowly getting up from the floor. Ino still didn't respond. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked, the blush extending down her neck. She was staring at the ceiling so hard he thought it might crack under her scrutiny.

Terror, icy cold, raced down his spine. "For what?"

"I didn't mean to."

He lost the feeling in his toes. "Didn't mean to what?"

"I won't tell."

His lungs began to ache as he attempted to control his breathing. He couldn't panic. There was no reason to panic, right? "Won't tell?"

"I saw," she muttered.

Shikamaru paled. "Saw what?"

It was almost unbelievable, but she turned an even more intense shade of red.

"Saw what, Ino?" he asked, desperation raking him with icy claws.

"Your butt."

He exhaled with relief, the feeling coming back to his limbs, and quickly went to his chest of drawers to pull out some underwear, followed by a pair of cropped pants. His digits tingled with the easing of adrenaline and his hands shook as he fastened his trousers. "Okay, I'm dressed."

She looked at him tentatively. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Hey, it was only my butt. No different from any other guy's butt. Besides, you've seen my clothes torn before." He was so relieved that she hadn't seen something else that he barely even registered what he was saying.

"But this was your whole butt."

"Yeah, so? Everyone has a butt."

Her entire face was no longer red, but a faint blush still stained her cheeks. "Well, it was nice."

He began to blush as well and realized he had better do something quick to distract himself. "What, I had a nice butt, or it was nice to see my butt?" he asked with a sly half-smile.

Her embarrassment turned into mock-offense as she raised her hand and whacked him across the bicep. "Shut up!" she cried, but she had a smile on her face.

Going to his closet, he pulled out a shirt and put it on. It was a nice, white, cotton shirt, which he found he favored after his missions were completed. A person wearied of wearing mesh all the time. "Well, I'm sorry you broke up with your boyfriend," he said with a sigh, sitting down next to her once more.

She nodded, rubbing at one of her eyes. Her golden ponytail brushed the back of her neck. "I know. But I get tired of going through guys all the time. I just want to find someone I can really connect with, you know?"

"I know," he replied, locking eyes with her. Her eyes opened wider slightly, and he thought she leaned towards him a little. His heart began to race and quickly looked away. "I mean, that's all anyone wants, probably. You'll find the right guy someday. You're only sixteen."

A strange expression crossed her face and was gone. "So what made you decide to take the jounin exam?" she asked, the last vestiges of her sorrow disappearing.

He shrugged, falling backward on his bed and crossing his arms behind his head. "Got tired of doing more work for less pay," he answered. "I just thought it was time."

"Hinata's taking it, too. I think she'll do really well."

"Yeah, she told me. She asked me to train with her, actually."

Something cold flashed in Ino's eyes for a split second. "Oh, that's nice," she said.

"When will you take the exam?"

She shrugged and rolled over on her stomach so that she could look him in the face. "When Chouji does. He made me promise to wait and take it with him. Probably next year."

"How about Sakura?"

"She wants to take it then, too. Kiba's going to as well."

"Hn," he grunted. "You'll all pass, I know it."

She sighed. "Yeah, I'm not worried." Suddenly she gave a start.

"What?"

"I was supposed to meet Sakura five minutes ago," she said, launching herself from the bed.

He stood as well. "I'll see you out. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," she replied, rushing down the stairs before him. They got to the door, he opened it, and she threw her arms around him, squeezing him tight. "Thanks for everything. You're awesome."

"Okay," he replied softly. "No hard feelings about earlier? It was an accident, I swear."

She blushed but smiled at the same time. "I know. See you later!" she cried, and dashed off.

He waved at her, watching her lithe form run down the street. When she was out of sight he sighed and put his hands in his pockets, turning to go inside. Going into the kitchen, he started to make himself a sandwich when something occurred to him. "Wait a minute," he muttered to himself. "How the hell did she get into my house?"

He thought about it for a minute, then decided it didn't matter. She was one of his best friends, after all. If she wanted to spend time with him, he'd take every minute she could spare. Gathering his sandwich, he went back up to his room. He could still watch clouds through the window and enjoy himself for the rest of the afternoon.


	10. Chapter 10 Sand ninjas

A/N: And here's the moment many of you have been waiting for- the appearance of Temari. I'm glad you've been enjoying the story thus far, and I hope you like this chapter as well. Tell your friends, if you do. grin

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"Oh man, it feels so good to be done with that mission!" Naruto said with a grin, stretching his arms above his head. "That took forever! I never thought we'd get that old geezer here." 

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You know, part of being Hokage is being a diplomat," he said sourly. "Besides, that 'old geezer' was the emperor's father-in-law. He might not have an actual title, but he still holds quite a bit of power."

"Whatever," Naruto said with a wave of his hand. "Are you hungry?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I guess so." He scanned the street of the foreign town, looking for a booth. "There," he said, pointing.

"Looks good to me," Naruto agreed.

"You always think it looks good, so long as it's passably edible."

"And I never starve, do I?"

"No, but you complain about it all the damn time."

The two young men wandered over to the booth, placing their orders and taking their food away to stand at one of the tall tables set near the street. Naruto was slurping his noodles with gusto, unruly blonde hair tousled by the wind. "Today's Sakura's birthday," Naruto announced. "Can you believe she's nineteen?"

Shikamaru looked at the blonde, face devoid of expression save for his customary sullen look. "Naruto, we're all nineteen."

"I know, but it just seems so old! We're all jounin, Chouji's getting married, what else is next?"

Shikamaru sighed, slowly chewing his food. He couldn't believe Chouji had proposed to Naomi. They were all so young! But, Chouji had been with her for years and was convinced that she was the one for him. Shikamaru supposed she was. His friend hadn't wanted to take the jounin exam, in the end, because he was worried that more dangerous missions might take him away from her permanently, not to mention the emotional scars he still harbored from the Uchiha retrieval mission. Naomi had patiently encouraged him, however, and now he was one of the shinobi elite. Things had gone well for him since he met her, and Shikamaru was happy for them.

Things had gone relatively well for Shikamaru as well. Upon his completion of the jounin exam he had been immediately been appointed a captain of his own team for his first few missions. That was way more trouble than he wanted, but he was used to putting up with bothersome things. He still wanted nothing more than to just lie around and watch clouds, but he wasn't dissatisfied with his life, either. Of course, Ino still went from guy to guy, chewing them up and spitting them out…. Well, that wasn't true, either. Guys had been dumping her as of late, and Ino would never tell him why.

He was jolted out of his reverie as he suddenly felt a disturbance in the air around him, meeting Naruto's eyes for a split second. He pulled off a kawarimi and reappeared a few yards away, adrenaline coursing through his system. Naruto was only a handful of feet from him, also keyed up and alert. Suddenly laughter rang out and a few familiar faces appeared. "It's been a while," the busty blonde said with a snort.

"Hey, Gaara!" Naruto said with a grin, going over to the Sand shinobi and clapping him on the shoulder.

Gaara's mouth twitched at the corner, which passed for a smile. "Hello," he said, face immediately turning serious.

"You sure grew up," Temari said, her full lips twisting into a smile. Shikamaru held his expression carefully still as she openly looked him up and down.

"Is it only you two? Why are you guys alone?" Kankuro asked, looking around.

"Yup," Naruto replied. "It was an A ranked mission on the client's request. They wanted jounin for a simple escort and were wiling to pay for it. The Hokage thought it would be wasting resources to send more of us."

"You have a reputation," Gaara said.

"You guys do, too," Shikamaru answered. The Sand trio had been friendly ever since the Uchiha mission, but he was still uncomfortable around them. He was especially ill at ease around Temari. She was always so grabby.

"So why aren't you guys ANBU?" Naruto asked, and Shikamaru felt like slapping his forehead. He wanted to jump in and say something snotty, but that would have been too much trouble.

"Because we have a reputation, too," Kankuro explained. "Our weapons are all so obvious that any targets would immediately know who they were dealing with. Besides, we don't need to hide behind a mask."

"That's why you wear makeup, right?" Gaara asked dryly. Shikamaru actually cracked a smile. Gaara still scared the hell out of him, but he couldn't say he didn't like the guy.

"Shut up," Kankuro growled.

"So why are you guys here?" Naruto asked.

"For the same reasons you were. We delivered a client safely," Gaara responded.

"Cool. Now we can go hang out," Naruto grinned. "It's been way too long! You should come visit us, the next break you get."

Temari suddenly shot forward and grabbed Shikamaru's arm, giving Kankuro a significant look. Kankuro sighed. "Hey, Naruto, you wanna join us for dinner?" he asked.

"Sure!" the blonde cried, and immediately fell into step.

"Hey, you just ate, idiot," Shikamaru growled.

"We're going to go shopping," Temari declared, and towed him in the opposite direction.

"What? Why?" he complained, regaining his feet and following her.

"Because that's what I feel like doing. And then you are going to buy me dinner."

Shikamaru groaned, but he decided against saying anything else. It was definitely way too much of a bother to try and arguing with her. After all, he had never gotten anywhere arguing with Ino, and Temari was somehow a million times scarier. He was really starting to understand exactly why his dad was so whipped.

He followed her down the street, silently watching as she went from booth to booth, much like the civilian women he had observed. She held up a necklace, its sparkling gems matching the dark blue depths of her eyes, the lower part of the piece resting in the cleft between her breasts. He swallowed hard.

"Well?" she asked. "Do you like it?"

He shrugged and watched as she lowered the necklace even further into her cleavage, blushing as he realized she was tracking his eye movement. "Nah," he finally said. "Too flashy. Doesn't suit you."

She raised an eyebrow, placing the jewelry back in its case. "How about this?" The next necklace she held up also sparkled in the light.

"Still too much," he replied.

Her brow furrowed. "Then you pick," she growled, dropping the necklace onto the black velvet.

He perused the jewelry, putting pieces aside, then sorting through the finalists. "Here," he said, holding up a choker of spherical agate beads spaced wide along a pale brown silken cord. "This is perfect."

Temari took the necklace from him and put it on, studying herself in the mirror. The pale reddish color of the swirls in the agate matched her complexion. It encircled her neck perfectly and made a feminine but strong statement. "Buy it for me," she commanded, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

Shikamaru silently pulled out some money and handed it over to the shopkeeper. The necklace really did look good on her. He didn't necessarily want to be buying gifts for a semi-stranger, though. He needed to be saving for the future, as troublesome as it was. "I need to get a wedding present," he told her.

"Friends?"

"Yeah."

"Which one's your friend, the man or woman?"

"Man."

Temari narrowed her eyes. "The fat kid?"

Shikamaru also narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, if you're small-minded."

For a moment it seemed as if she was going to hit him, but smiled slowly instead. "Okay. I know just the thing."

Shikamaru scowled as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him down the street again. After what seemed like years they finally arrived at a booth filled with worked silver. She pointed at a medium-sized silver bowl, its rim cut at a slant so that one side of the bowl was higher than the other. "He'll take that," she told the merchant.

"How much does it cost?" Shikamaru asked, but was handed the package instead. The bowl was very heavy. He groaned as he pulled out almost all of his cash and handed it over. It really was a pretty gift. He trudged out of the shop and stood in the street, slouching with the package under his arm. "I don't have enough money left to take you to a fancy place to eat," he told Temari.

"You actually remembered that?" she said, raising both her eyebrows.

"I'm not stupid," he growled.

The gaze she fixed upon him was suddenly very serious. "I know," she replied softly. "Let's just stop by a noodle shack."

They wandered for a little while more, browsing a stall piled full of scrolls and miscellaneous weapons, among other things. The town's lines were softening in the light of the sunset, Temari's hair glinting different colors depending on how low the light was. "Here?" he asked, and she nodded, allowing him to follow her into a small café. They ordered, for he found he was a little hungry again, and sat outside at one of the tables. The wood of the tables was weather-beaten, and the rattan of the chairs was worn, yet the atmosphere was cozy and comfortable. Not that he cared about cozy. He noticed that she was trying to catch his eye and he looked at her, wondering if she expected him to do something. A slow, sly smile spread across her face, and she shifted a bit so that her breasts were resting on the tabletop. He narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. She seemed about to say something when their order was called out, and he nonchalantly got up and retrieved their food. They ate in silence, eyes locked, until finally Temari had finished and rested her chopsticks across the rim of her bowl.

"You know," she said softly, her voice almost a purr, "You're the only man who ever truly bested me."

"Bah," he grunted, shoving away his plates. "I was thirteen."

"Well, I was fifteen, and would have been a chuunin long before if it hadn't been necessary to monitor Gaara constantly."

"Hn."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're still just as lazy now as you were then, aren't you?"

"I don't see the point in being any other way."

"Is everything truly such a bother?"

He smiled faintly. "Absolutely."

"Is nothing worth the trouble?"

"Nope. Not that I've found."

She studied him for a few moments in utter silence, people walking past them in the street. The sounds of birds were carried to his ears on the light evening breeze, and the fading light of the sunset was reflected in her dark blue eyes. He sighed and crossed his arms behind his head when he felt something brush against his ankle. Passing it off as his imagination, he looked up at the sky, trying to find the first faint stars appearing. The sensation moved from his ankle up his calf, pushing the fabric of his pants aside all the way up to his knee. It felt suspiciously like toes being run across his skin. Looking across the table at her, he scowled slightly. What was going on?

"Are you involved with anyone, Shikamaru?" she murmured, half-lowering her eyelids. The sensation of toes caressing his leg continued.

He sighed. "If I said yes, would you stop?"

"No," she whispered.

"Then it's too much of a bother to even answer you," he muttered. He hated to admit it, but her touch was actually quite nice. A girl had never come on to him before. He wasn't sure, however, if he liked where it was going.

Temari frowned slightly, gripping the flesh of his relaxed calf muscle in her toes. "Are you playing hard to get or are you really just that hard to get?" she half-growled.

"The way I see it, starting something with you would just cause me a lot of trouble," he said.

"Am I not attractive?"

Shikamaru barked a laugh. "You don't need to play those sorts of games with me, either. I know you're smarter than that."

All artifice disappeared from her face, leaving in its stead an intense, hungry expression. "Let's go," she said, standing up so abruptly that she nearly knocked over her chair. Her arm shot out and gathered up her fan, strapping it to her back, and she caught him once more by the wrist, nearly pulling him over the table to get him out of his seat.

He wanted to ask her where they were headed, but it seemed like too much effort, since he was pretty sure she was going to take him there regardless. At first he thought he made her angry and they were going to rejoin her brothers, so they could all beat the snot out of him together, but instead she pushed him into an alleyway and slammed him up against the wall. Night had fallen, the darkness cloaking them from prying eyes, and with her speed and agility he knew no one had seen their movements.

"Hey," he began, deciding it was finally time to put a stop to this nonsense, when she put her hands against his chest and pressed the full length of her body against him. For all her strength, she was still soft in all the places he thought a woman should be, and he was fiercely grateful for the darkness that concealed his furious blushing. One of her hands gripped him behind the neck and pulled his head to her, mashing her face against his as she kissed him roughly. Her lips tasted of the strawberries she had eaten for dessert, still slightly cool from the ice the berries had rested in. He could smell her spicy skin as heat seemed to roll off her in waves, and his head swam as her hands suddenly seemed to be all over his body. Before he knew it his own hands started to roam, startling him as his fingertips encountered warm, bare flesh. She made a groaning noise and pushed against him more roughly, shoving her tongue into his mouth. He didn't know where to put his hands, where to put his legs. Should he press her against the wall, or should they go somewhere else? It would be stupid to get involved with her, it was always stupid for a shinobi to get involved, but he didn't think involvement was really what she wanted.

Suddenly she pushed away, her eyes shining in the darkness with something he couldn't identify. Her ample chest rose and fell sharply as she panted, her lips looking as if they were bruised, they were so dark. "Haven't you done this before?"

"Way to make a guy feel good," he grumbled, his ears burning with embarrassment. "Shouldn't we be catching up with the others?"

Temari put a hand over her face. "Oh, Kankuro's going to be wasted by now. Thank goodness Gaara's with him."

Shikamaru shrugged. "I have a feeling Gaara's pretty good at keeping other people under control. I only hope Naruto isn't sloshed, too."

She looked at him for a moment, even her posture quiet. "You're the kind of guy who's always right, aren't you?"

He chuckled. "Well, I don't open my mouth unless I know I'm right."

"Ugh, you're irritating," she growled.

"I'd say I was doing my best, but we both know I'm too lazy for that."

Temari laughed and shook her head, stepping out of the alleyway and into the street. He took a split second to adjust himself in his pants. She'd excited him, dammit. Once he was satisfied he wasn't going to humiliate himself, he joined her in the streetlight. "Okay, let's go rescue Gaara," she sighed.

"Sounds fine to me," he replied. The young woman began to walk forward and Shikamaru fell into step with her.

"I'll get you yet," she whispered.

"We'll see," he smirked, and they set off to search for their teammates.

It didn't take long, since their teammates actually ran into them. By that time Shikamaru had positioned himself slightly away from Temari, and so nothing seemed untoward when Gaara, Naruto, and Kankuro appeared. "Damn, he's heavy!" Naruto whined. "What do they feed you guys?"

"Are you calling me fat?" Kankuro slurred. His arm was slung around Naruto's neck and he was wobbling alongside the blonde.

"Yeah, you're the fattest bastard I've ever met," Naruto snapped.

"Hey," Shikamaru called out. "I thought you'd be drunk, too."

Naruto grimaced. "Nah, Gaara wouldn't let me have more than a couple."

"I figured one drunk moron was enough," Gaara replied, voice flat, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Here, you take him," Naruto said, gesturing to Gaara. Garra narrowed his eyes and Naruto backed off. "Okay, you take him," he repeated, trying to pawn Kankuro off on Shikamaru.

"Hell no. I'm not gonna be responsible for that," Shikamaru growled.

"Well, then, I guess we're staying where you guys are staying," Naruto said with a sigh. "I'm sure as hell not going to carry him all the way there and then find another place to sleep."

"Fine," Shikamaru sighed. "I'll do it."

"Why can't we just stay with them?" Naruto groaned.

Shikamaru glanced at Temari, whose eyes were glittering dangerously. "Because," he said firmly. "Book us at the place near the gate. I'll join you in a bit."

"Okay," Naruto said, handing over Kankuro, who was mumbling to himself. "You know, my sensei was a pervert, but he knew his stuff. He said that ninja had to stay away from three things: alcohol, money, and women. You gotta work on one of those at the very least, Kankuro."

Kankuro just groaned.

"Your teacher was a wise man, " Gaara said.

"I guess," Naruto replied with a grin. "Hey, it was great to see you guys."

Shikamaru waited until the farewells were finished, then watched Naruto bound away. "And they call me the lazy one," he complained.

"You volunteered," Gaara reminded him.

"Let a guy have his fun," he snorted. "Complaining makes me feel better."

"We're not too far," Temari said, gesturing.

"Thank goodness. Naruto's right, he really is heavy."

"Karasu adds quite a few pounds," Gaara commented, and led them back to the inn.


	11. Chapter 11 Dinner

A/N: Hope you enjoyed Temari's appearance last time. Don't worry, she'll show up again soon. Personally, I think Ino gets a bad wrap- so many fanfic writers make her out to be some sort of psycho that I think it colors the opinions of readers. Yeah, she has a temper in the manga, but she has a side that cares deeply for those around her, too. So, keep an open mind, because she'll play a huge role in the end of this fic. Hope you like it, and don't forget to spread the gospel if you do. I like to know what people think.

* * *

When Naruto and Shikamaru returned to Konoha, Naruto asked Shikamaru if he'd be the one to make the report, since he was anxious to see if Hinata was around. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and made a snide comment about hormones, but he sent Naruto on his way. He made his report, was informed he had a single day to rest, and asked if Ino was on a mission. The administrator said she wasn't, so he decided to track her down. Tucking the silver bowl under his arm, he wandered home, only stopping to watch the clouds for a few minutes, showered, and set off again, the bowl still in tow. 

The bell above the door to Ino's family's shop rang as he entered the store, his eyes meeting Ino's as she raised her head from her task. The shop was completely empty except for the two of them. "Shikamaru?" she asked.

He tried to smiled slightly. It was always sort of harrowing to be around her. The sensation was similar to the quiet anxiety he sometimes felt before missions. "What, have I been gone so long you don't recognize me?"

She scowled and threw a flower at him. "You jerk," she growled.

Shikamaru was genuinely confused by her remark. "What?" He ambled to the counter and handed her the flower she had launched at him.

Snatching it away from him, Ino crammed it into a vase with a few others. "You never call me when you get home from missions."

He dug around in his pocket, still holding the bowl under his arm. "I didn't know I was supposed to," he said. "I'm here now, right? I did just get off a mission, after all."

A sigh escaped her and she rested her hands on the counter. Her long, pale fingers were covered with plant bits and looked slightly cold and wrinkled from being in too much water. "Yes," she murmured. She looked at him and spoke more loudly. "You know, Chouji told me I could bring someone to the wedding."

Shikamaru wasn't sure if she was implying anything or not. He felt a familiar tightness in his chest as she spoke. "Oh yeah?" The palms of his hands began to sweat. Memories of the festival he had taken her to years ago surfaced like bubbles inside of him, forming and bursting almost immediately. Her scent invaded his brain once more, and he could recall what her muscular waist felt like between his hands.

"Soujiro wants me to take him," she said quietly, a strange look on her face. Her sky-blue eyes were fixed on him, unblinking, her hands still resting on the counter.

It was everything he could do not to physically recoil as the sensation of having an icicle rammed through his heart assaulted him. Sure, of course she'd take her latest boyfriend. Shikamaru had to be there anyway; he was the best man. Still, would he always be at the bottom of Ino's list? It had begun with Sasuke and gone on from there. Why didn't she think of him as a romantic possibility? Were they simply too good of friends?

"I got this for their present," he grumbled, unwrapping the bowl Temari had picked out. It was actually less trouble, for once, to change the subject than to speak the obvious. It was obvious to him, at least.

The silver of the bowl reflected in her eyes as she gasped. "Oh, this is beautiful!" she exclaimed. "They'll love it!"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Naomi will love it. If I fill it with chips, Chouji will love it, too."

Ino laughed, the sound like chimes to his ears. "I'm just doing their flowers. That'll have to be good enough."

Shikamaru grunted in response. He was still a little riled from Temari's groping the day before and couldn't keep his attention away from Ino's breasts. He wondered what her throat would feel like beneath his lips. "Uh," he mumbled.

Ino leaned forward. "What?"

Shikamaru gave a start and hastily met her eyes, trying to think of something to say. The pay from his mission jingled in his pocket. He pointed at a red carnation on a stand next to her. "I want three of those."

She frowned. "What? You're buying flowers?"

"Is that against the law?" he drawled.

Her head shook furiously. "No, of course not," she snapped. "It's just, well, have you ever bought flowers for anybody before?"

It stung that she didn't remember. "Just once," he said softly.

She paused, her hands in mid-motion, and stared at him, cheeks slowly turning pink. "Rare color," she whispered. He held her gaze, willing her to understand. If she would only reach for him he could die a happy man.

Suddenly her eyes narrowed and she turned on him. "Shikamaru, do you have a girlfriend?" Her tone was teasing, but her eyes were blazing. "Have you been hiding someone from us this whole time?"

Why was she so angry? "Hell no," he replied flatly, pushing his money across the counter.

Ino deflated, taking three carnations from the bundle. "Okay." She began to wrap the flowers, but he motioned for her to stop. He took the flowers from her, blushing as their hands touched and hating himself for it. "So Chouji's having me over for dinner tonight. You want to pick me up at seven?" she asked.

"Did he invite me, or are you doing this against his wishes?"

She slapped his arm. "Stupid. Of course he invited you. I just thought you might want to go with me. He probably left a message asking you to come. Geez, you don't have to go with me if you don't want to."

"No," he said, inwardly wincing as his voice came out louder than he had intended it to. "I-I mean, I do want to go. With you."

She cleared her throat and looked away, making him realize he had been staring at her. "Okay," she said softly. "I'll see you then, I guess."

"Yeah," he replied. It was so troublesome to deal with her, but he simply couldn't stop himself. It was so stupid; he wasn't a dumb kid anymore. He was a full-fledged ninja and a grown man besides. Words should not have frightened him, for he knew the true horrors of the world.

Taking a deep breath, he held out the flowers he had just purchased. "These are for you," he murmured.

Ino reached out and took the flowers tenderly. "Thank you," she replied. Her expression was soft, with something else hiding deep inside. "Do you know what carnations mean?"

"No," he whispered.

"Love, always love."

His lips parted and he swallowed past the lump in his throat, hoping she couldn't hear the way his heart was hammering in his chest. His eyes roved over her flawless complexion, reveling in her beauty. "Ah," he breathed. He regained his composure by filling his lungs as full as he could with air and exhaling as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, all his emotions were securely tucked away. He looked at her again, trying to ignore how sad she suddenly looked. "See you at seven," he said, and walked out of the shop.

He meandered to his small apartment and immediately went out onto his cramped balcony, flopping down on the bench he had placed there. The clouds lazily crossed the sky and he smiled to himself, content. He stayed like that for a couple of hours, then changed and went back to Ino's. She still lived with her parents, something that he couldn't fathom. As he grew older he realized that he loved his parents, but his mother was a still a tyrant and his dad was still irresponsible. He couldn't wait to get out of there, and so as soon as he could afford it, he was out on his own. Ino, however, was her daddy's princess, and he figured she wouldn't be moving out until she married. Who knew when that would be. The thought depressed him. Ino dated enough people that her chances of finding the "right one" were actually pretty good. He looked up and realized he had actually walked past Ino's house, then backtracked and rang the bell.

"Shikamaru!" Inoshi cried, opening the door. "Come on in! Ino will be down in just a minute."

"Thank you, sir," Shikamaru said, leaning against the doorframe of the living room. Inoshi sat back down on the couch and continued to sharpen kunai while his wife oiled shuriken. They chatted while they watched television, and Shikamaru wondered if this domesticity was similar to what normal, non-ninja families experienced. Well, minus the deadly weapons, of course. He often wondered what it would be like to be something other than a hired killer, but he also knew that the culture of being a tool, a weapon of death, was ingrained in him. So-called "normal" life was probably beyond his reach. He would either grow old knowing that he could be killed and taken away from all he held dear at any time or would actually be killed. There was no way to know. Even worse was the fact that he couldn't know when those he loved would be taken away. He was very careful to generally keep business finished whenever he left town. Well, all except for one issue….

Ino suddenly appeared in the room, clad in a simple red dress. It was short-sleeved, showing off her sculpted arms, and had a mandarin collar. Her hair was pinned up on top of her head and her shoes were stylish but sensible. Ino, in spite of being one of the more stereotypically feminine kunoichi, always dressed in such a manner that she would be capable of defending herself. That was, perhaps, one of the reasons she was so often picked for assignments in foreign lands. She could act the lady and go undercover no matter where she went. Ino had posed as the wife, daughter, or mistress of nobility for several nations. Shikamaru felt something in his stomach grow hot as he envied those men she had accompanied.

"Hey," she said to him, smiling. She wore no cosmetics, letting her natural features do their business. To him they were more than enough, though he'd rather die than tell her that. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah. You look nice," he replied. "Am I not dressed up enough? I thought we were just going over to his house."

"We are," she said, coming over to him and adjusting the collar of his shirt. Her light scent filled his nostrils and made his stomach lurch. "You look fine."

"Let's get going, then," he said.

"I'll be back later," Ino told her parents, and let him show her out the door.

Dinner with Chouji and Naomi was very pleasant. The food was spectacular and they both seemed very happy. Every so often Naomi would lean over and plant a kiss on Chouji's round cheek. The young man would grin and blush, his eyes sparkling with joy as the woman moved gracefully around the room. Ino laughed and touched Shikamaru lightly on the knee several times. He couldn't remember the last time she had looked so lovely. She was witty, beautiful, strong, and very, very dangerous. A genuine, large smile found itself on his face several times that night, all because of her. He had never felt so good.

When dinner came to a close he felt like he was nearly floating. He put his hand on the small of her back as they left Chouji's house. His friend pulled him aside as Naomi helped Ino with her light jacket. "Have a good time?" Chouji asked.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said with a smile. "Couldn't have asked for better company. You guys are going to be so happy."

"I think so," his friend replied. "Hey, are you off tomorrow?"

Shikamaru nodded. "You know where I'll be. Anytime's good."

"Okay," the larger boy said, slapping his friend on his back. Shikamaru was forced to take a step forward in order to compensate for Chouji's strength.

"Thanks for everything! Goodnight!" Ino said as he led her out the door, both of them waving at the smiling couple. The door slid shut and he could hear giggles inside. The lights immediately went out and Shikamaru could guess what would come next.

The stars above them sparkled, beautiful but distant. He glanced at the young woman walking alongside him, thinking she was much the same. "Hey, Ino?" he asked, knowing he was creating more trouble for himself, but perversely unable to stop himself from doing it.

"Yes?"

"Why do you date so many guys? Why go from fiercely chasing Sasuke to going with everyone you can get your hands on?"

Ino stopped and looked around, then motioned to a bench away from the glare of the streetlight. "Here," she said, leading him over. They sat down and she pressed against him, shivering slightly.

"Are you cold?"

"A bit."

Shikamaru shrugged out of his jacket. "Here," he said, covering her with it.

She smiled up at him. "It smells like you," she murmured.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly in response. "And? You going to answer me?"

Her hand shot out from underneath his jacket and smacked his thigh. "Of course, you asshole! Just give me a minute!"

"Fine, fine," he mumbled. "I should have known this was going to be troublesome."

"Everything's troublesome to you."

"That's right. Now, I'm honestly curious."

She sighed, her eyes searching the night sky. "I had a crush on Sasuke, sure. It lasted for a long time. But, when I realized that he wasn't the same after he came back, it just sort of stopped. Instead I was angry for how he hurt Sakura. I never really loved him. I didn't know what that meant. I don't think I do yet."

"And all the boyfriends?"

"Why do you care?" she asked playfully, suddenly coy, then slowly reverted back to normal as she realized he was serious. "I'm still looking, Shikamaru. You're my best friend. Sometimes I feel like you know more about me than I know about myself."

He looked at her long and hard, studying the lines of her jaw. "You know yourself just fine. You just don't know that you know."

"I'm trying. I'm learning."

She looked almost statuesque sitting there in the starlight, he thought. She was too beautiful, too smart, too perfect for any mortal man. He was proud of her for becoming such a strong ninja, but at the same time he was afraid she might die on a mission. Did she ever feel that? She probably did. It would have been too much of a bother to ask, though. He toyed for a moment with the idea of asking her back to his place, even if it was just to talk, then remembered that he didn't really like talking. That was why he hung out with Ino. She was a troublesome person, but at least she was willing to do most of the work. "Tired?" he asked.

Her eyes were dark as she looked at him, nodding. "Yeah," she replied. "I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow."

"I'll take you home," he said, and did exactly that.


	12. Chapter 12 Chat with Chouji

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I'm going on vacation the latter half of this week and all of next, so I'm going to update at the beginning of this week, and then you won't hear from me for a while. I'll resume updating when I return. Sorry about this short chapter- check again tomorrow. Hopefully quick updates will make up for short chapters.

In the meantime, please read, review, and recommend to your friends.

* * *

The next day he was lying blissfully in the grass, watching the clouds from behind closed eyelids. He had worried for a little while about Ino on her mission, but figured that she would always do her best to come back. Thinking about losing her was the most troublesome thing he could imagine. So, he decided to think about nothing at all. Life had become increasingly complicated as he grew older, and he wasn't even twenty yet. It was hard to deal with, sometimes, but it wasn't like he had a choice. He did what he could to avoid troublesome things, but sometimes there was just no way around them. 

"Hey," he heard a familiar voice say, and he looked up to see Chouji towering over him. Chouji was by far the tallest of the original genin twelve, with Shino a fairly close second. Lee was in third, and Shikamaru was completely content with his place in fourth, Naruto just a half-inch behind him.

Shikamaru propped himself up on his elbows. "Hi. I'm happy to see you," he said, but knew his face didn't show any such emotion. Chouji, luckily, knew that Shikamaru meant what he said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry to take some of your time on your day off," Chouji replied, plopping down in the grass next to him.

"So what's up? I thought you'd be wedding planning or something."

"Naw," he said, pulling up a few blades of grass. "Our folks are doing most of that."

"Nervous?"

Chouji laughed. "A little, but not about the wedding."

Shikamaru waited, the silence filled with anxiety. "And?"

"I'm a ninja. Naomi's not. She wasn't raised in this sort of environment. She's been really supportive so far, but she doesn't understand how easily we die. I mean, you remember that one time…."

Shikamaru nodded gravely. The memory of when Chouji had nearly died retrieving Sasuke still haunted his dreams. He didn't know what he would have done if he had lost his friend. It made him feel nauseous every time he thought about it. "We're just tools, Chouji. You and I know that. Naomi knows that, too, and is willing to accept it. If she's okay with it, then you should be, too."

"Yeah, I know," Chouji muttered, still plucking at the grass. "It'd be easier if we had more permanent teams."

Shikamaru nodded. Sandaime had kept the ninja in the same teams, but Godaime liked to form teams based on the requirements of the missions. More often than not there was an increased efficiency in the completion of the mission, but the sense of teamwork dwindled as one rose in rank, with jounins being swapped around almost every mission. ANBU members had become the only non-genin force to work in set teams. "Well," he said, "you could always drop out and join the police force. Some of their members don't go on outside missions, like Sasuke, when he's allowed to work."

"Poor bastard," Chouji replied. "So, I heard they want you to join ANBU?"

He shuddered. "Yeah, but there's no way in hell I'd do it. I think part of the reason they wear masks is because they can't stand to look at themselves otherwise. The things the ANBU have to do. . . . The mask must help the psychological creation of an alter ego, so that they can rationalize their actions by assigning guilt to the fictitious personality. How else could a person be ANBU and have their soul remain intact?"

Chouji stared at him, his eyes wide. "Oh. Okay. Is that what you think about when you watch the sky?"

"No. I don't think of much when I watch the sky. When I watch, it's those sorts of thoughts I try to escape. Life is just such a bother sometimes. I need a lot of mental vacations."

"Is Ino something you try not to think about?" Chouji grinned slyly. "Something must be bugging you, because you never talk this much. It's usually too much trouble for you."

Shikamaru clenched his jaw, scowling as his face heated up. "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh no? You looked pretty smitten last night. Don't blame you. She grew up to be really hot. Not as much as Naomi, but still good."

Shikamaru grunted. "Yeah, whatever."

"You like her, right?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Okay, a little."

"She always seems happiest around you."

"Yeah, that's why every guy in the village has been her boyfriend but me."

Chouji sucked in air through his teeth. "You're bitter. Ino's not loose, though. She's just looking for something. You can't be angry at her for trying to find it."

"Can, and will," Shikamaru snorted. "I'm always at the bottom of her list."

"Lost of people think that you don't like girls, or boys, for that matter," Chouji explained. "They think you're above sex or something. Maybe she does, too?"

"Bah, might as well be. Everything is such a hassle."

Chouji narrowed his eyes. "Have you ever even been with a girl?"

Shikamaru's scowl intensified. "Like how do you mean?"

"I don't know. Anything, I guess."

"Well, yeah. Of course."

Chouji's mouth dropped open, his eyes wide as he stared at his friend. "Who?" he demanded.

Shikamaru took a deep breath. "Don't you dare tell a soul," he growled.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Who?"

He took another breath. "Temari."

"From the Sand?"

"…Yeah."

Chouji erupted into laughter. "That's great," he said, wiping his eyes. "I've heard she's as crazy as hell, but she's also fun. Oh man, you're in for a ride. You going to bring her to the wedding?"

Oh, right, like that wouldn't be a disaster and a half. That right there was the definition of trouble. Capital "T" for trouble, and for Temari, too. "Maybe I will," he replied. If he ran into her, he might consider it. It wasn't something he was willing to work for.

Chouji glanced at the sky. "Well, your secret's safe with me. I had better get going. Drop by when you get back from your mission, okay? Tsunade-sama's giving me short missions so I can be here for my wedding."

"Okay," Shikamaru said, waving at the large young man as he walked away, then enjoyed the rest of his day in peace.


	13. Chapter 13 Beginning of a mission

A/N: Ah, I looked ahead to what I'm going to post this week, and it just seemed to mean to leave the story where it would have ended up if I only updated three times this week, and then with a 1.5 week break. So, I'm going to post this extra chapter today, and that way you won't be left in the middle of something. Of course, the definitive Shikamaru/Temari chapter will be the first one posted when I get back.

Gah, I'm getting to be a softie in my old age.

As for the upcoming wedding (which also won't be posted until I get back), Temari will end up going. Hopefully you all aren't disappointed in how it goes. But we have a few other things to get out of the way before we get to that...

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Shikamaru reported for duty early the next morning, milling around the waiting room with the other jounin. Some played cards, some read, some just sat around talking. He went straight to a corner, scanning the room for familiar faces. After a moment he decided that it would be too much effort to actually find someone to talk to, so he rested his head against the wall and dozed. He had been working on developing a talent for falling asleep instantly anywhere, along with a talent for waking up immediately. The second part of the technique had been far more difficult to master. "Nara Shikamaru," the loudspeaker blared, and he pushed himself away from the wall, walking towards the assignment desk. "Hyuuga Hinata." 

He arrived at the desk the same time as the petite woman, nodding as she gave him a small wave. The administrative-nin behind the desk handed them both a scroll once he confirmed their identities. "Okay, this is an A-ranked mission. You are to escort the man listed on that scroll to the location listed there. However, the client does not want the man to know that he's being escorted, so you'll have to go undercover. You'll be posing as a husband and wife in a caravan heading towards the location. The target will most likely abandon the caravan partway through the journey. Follow him and ensure he reaches his destination safely."

"And why does he need to be escorted? Why is this an A mission?" Shikamaru asked.

"Because he's the son of an important man and might be used as a hostage. There has been gang activity in the vicinity of his destination related to the conflicts of his own town. It's an A-rank because the gang is rumored to have a couple of missing-nin as members."

"Which is why there's only two of us," Hinata said.

"Correct," the administrator said. "That, and it'd be hard to pose as a married couple if there were four of you. Good luck." He shuffled some papers around on the desk, then called the next names.

Shikamaru sighed, stuffing the scroll into his pocket unread. "Whatta pain," he drawled.

"I think it will be kind of fun," Hinata said. "We can protect the whole caravan, too, if we need to."

"Bah," he grunted. She actually wanted to do extra work? What a bother. Well, at least it was Hinata. If he had to be paired with a girl, it might as well have been her. She was a lot easier to be around than most of her gender. She was quiet and undemanding, plus she was smart. He didn't think the mission would be very dangerous, though, since neither he nor Hinata possessed massive amounts of strength or stamina. Obviously stealth was what was needed.

"It says we have to leave immediately. If we go to Supply they'll have our equipment waiting for us there," she commented, finishing reading the scroll.

He couldn't even muster enough interest to reply, simply offering his arm to her and escorting her down to Supply. They passed Kiba on their way there, heading the opposite direction they were traveling in. He nodded at Shikamaru, then noticed Hinata on his arm. "Whaaa?" Kiba growled. "Oh, man!"

Hinata turned her head to watch Kiba storm down the hall. "First Naruto, now Shikamaru?" they heard the man mutter to himself.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Yeah," he replied. Poor, impulsive Kiba. He was strong, but he wasn't quick on the uptake sometimes. Not as naïve as Naruto, but still not quick. Shikamaru admiredthe guy'sability to nap, however.

They received their costumes and luggage, changed, and immediately set out, Hinata still on his arm. "Do you think it will be difficult?" she asked him.

"Do you think Naruto will kill me for sleeping in the same room as you?" he returned.

Hinata blushed. "Oh, you're one of the most honorable guys I know. Naruto wouldn't care, anyway. He knows you wouldn't do anything."

"Yeah, nobody else thinks so, either," he sighed, surprised at how bitter he sounded.

It took them a full day to reach the town from which the caravan would depart. They managed to get seats in the same coach that their target was riding in, facing him the entire way. Their target was actually in rather high spirits, eager to talk for the duration of the trip. He told them about his family, his education, and the woman he was in love with. Shikamaru looked over at Hinata and noticed she was getting all dreamy-eyed from the romance of it. Well, he was bored. It might take a little effort to entertain himself, but he figured that was better than poking his eyes out with a kunai. "Oh, I know how you feel," he interrupted the target as the man was waxing poetic about his lady love. Reaching over, he squeezed Hinata's hands in his own and drew her near. "My wife is the loveliest person in the whole world, to me. One night we were on a lake. The moon was full, the stars were out, and the frogs were croaking on the lily pads. Her face glowed softly in the light, and as the boat rocked gently back and forth, I knew I had to have her as my wife."

Hinata gasped and turned beet red, which was exactly what he wanted. "Oh!" she said, covering her face with her hands.

"And then I asked her to marry me, and she agreed in a most passionate manner."

Hinata's face was almost purple. "You shouldn't say such things, dear!" she cried. "Still, it was a wonderful evening. You wouldn't know it to look at him, kind sir, but he is actually one of the most kind-hearted and romantic of men."

Shikamaru's mouth curled up at the corner, pleased that Hinata wasn't just letting him walk all over her. Her relationship with Naruto seemed to have really given her the confidence she needed. She continued to talk to the target until night fell and they had to make camp. The passengers poured out of the coaches and retrieved their luggage. Shikamaru waited until the target had chosen a spot on which to sleep for the night, then began to set up their tent nearby. Hinata had already built a fire to be shared with others and was busily cooking away. Dinner passed pleasantly, for Hinata was an excellent cook, not that he was shabby himself, when he had to either cook or starve. They retired into their tent and Shikamaru unrolled their blankets.

"You really are very sweet," she said to him, slipping out of her kimono to reveal the ninja garb beneath. He grunted, not really wanting to be labeled "sweet." "It sort of surprises me that you haven't had a girlfriend."

He snorted and flopped down on his bedroll. "Yeah, well, that's the way it goes."

"Why?"

"Girls don't like me. I guess I could ask someone out if I wanted to, but it seems like a lot of trouble. Relationships are messy."

Hinata nodded. "Yes, that's true. Some men don't bother with the relationship part, though."

"Yeah, well, I'm not like that."

He was startled to feel a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad. You know, you're one of my favorites to go on missions with."

Her statement surprised him. He didn't think anyone but Chouji actually enjoyed his company. He just figured most people thought he was a boring sourpuss and left it at that. It had always simply been too much effort to change their minds. "Why?" he asked, not really believing her, although Hinata had no reason to lie.

"Because you're nice, and you're patient, and you're not moody. I always know I can count on you, and you're the smartest of us all. Most of the geniuses I know are only smart with one thing, but you're smart in all things."

He rolled over and sat up, meeting her milky eyes. She had worn colored contacts during the day, but he thought her more attractive with her natural irises. "Well, I'm not sure I agree with you, but thanks all the same," he said.

A smile broke out on her face, making her look radiant. For a moment he realized why Naruto was so in love with the young woman before him. "Shall I take the first watch?" she asked, moving to the tent flap.

"Sure," he replied. "Just call me if anything interesting happens."

"Will do," she whispered. "Sleep tight."

"No problem," he murmured, and soon was fast asleep.


	14. Chapter 14 In the fray

A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was fun to write. None of these chapters seem very long to me, but I'm not really used to writing in chapters, especially not from a single point of view. As always, if you like it, have suggestions, etc., please review and let me know.

* * *

Shikamaru was setting up their tent after the caravan had stopped for the night, listening to Hinata hum beneath her breath as she started the fire for dinner. His hands were busy with the fabric of the tent, but his eyes roved the camp, watching people about their business. A movement at the edge of the shadows caught his attention, and he turned his body in that direction under the pretense of gathering more tent stakes. His suspicions were confirmed: the target was making his escape. 

He cleared his throat and turned his head toward Hinata. "Little bird," he said, and she slowly met his eyes, nodding once.

"I sing for you," she replied, signaling she understood, and slowly began packing away the cooking supplies.

He was satisfied with their code words, approving of the silent efficiency with which Hinata began to repack their belongings. If he hadn't known what she was doing he wouldn't have been able to tell that she was actually packing things up instead of unpacking. Her smooth motions impressed him. He moved their tent closer to the trees, quickly writing a genjutsu on a piece of paper and putting it in place with a stone. They hadn't been able to bring more than one tent, so an illusion would have to suffice until the next morning. When the jutsu expired, the paper would incinerate itself, leaving no trace behind but ashes. It was a simple but convenient technique to have.

Swapping the illusion for the real tent, he quickly got their packs together. There was no reason to hurry, since their target would be easy enough to track through the woods, but he didn't like being too far away from their charge. If something happened to him their mission fee wouldn't be paid, and there would be mountains of paperwork to do. The only time it was permissible to fail in a mission, no matter how minor, was if the ninja died.

Hinata doused the fire and hurried over to him, disappearing inside the illusion of the tent. He did the same, quickly lacing up the pack and securing everything. They faded into the forest, quickly shedding their civilian clothes and strapping extra weapons to their bodies, then took to the trees to search for the person they were supposed to be protecting.

"There," Hinata whispered, and Shikamaru could see her Byakugan activated in the dim light of evening. He followed the direction she was pointing and sure enough saw the faint signs of a person running through the underbrush. Twigs were broken and the faintest outline of a footprint was left on the mossy ground.

Shouldering the pack more securely, he nodded at her and began to move through the trees, straining his eyes against the darkness. After a few moments he let Hinata lead, her byakugan more reliable than his normal vision in the night. They didn't have to travel long before they found their target, stumbling through the dark forest with a light. The two ninja nodded at one another and wrapped their heads and faces with black cloth, not wanting to be recognized should they be forced to appear before him. The man walked for a while, then stopped at a tree, examining it. He looked about on the ground, picking up a stone and turning it over in his hands. A moment later he had discarded it and was striding quickly away in a different direction, eyes gleaming in the light of his lantern.

Shikamaru dropped from the tree and picked up the stone. A white arrow was etched on it, and he conveyed the direction to Hinata through hand signals. Scouting about, he discovered two indentations where the rock had lain. One was the location the rock had been in when their target picked it up. Shikamaru noticed, however, that the other location was older, which was where the rock had originally meant to sit. He signed to Hinata that he thought it was a trap, and he saw her head nod. Leaping back into the trees, he loosened the catch on his pouch of shuriken and followed Hinata as they pursued their target.

They followed him for three days, the lushness of the forest giving away to patchier woodlands interspersed with grasslands. Their target kept mostly under the trees, which Shikamaru was grateful for. It was more difficult to move unseen in tall grasses. He and Hinata took turns sleeping in the trees near their target, and on the evening of the third day stood watch as the man dashed into a field. A hut sat at the far edge of the grass, a wispy bit of smoke coming out of the chimney.

Shikamaru settled on the branch nearest to where Hinata crouched. "There aren't any lights on," he whispered. "What do you see?"

Veins appeared at her temples as she began her blood-limit technique. "The hut is full of people," she replied quietly, her words no louder than the breath passing over her lips.

He nodded. It was as he expected. "Go around to the back. I'll signal you."

"Yes," she said, and moved off silently.

Shikamaru dropped to the ground and quietly made his way behind the man, not letting his head be seen over the top of the grasses. It was uncomfortable and was definitely in the category of troublesome things. The target was still running towards the door, his cheeks flushed as the last ambient light of the sun disappeared, the stars taking over the sky. Shikamaru swore silently. Why were people such fools over love? It wasn't worth the trouble. Then again, if he knew Ino was waiting for him, eyes full of love, wouldn't he hurry? He tried to tell himself he wouldn't. He tried even harder not to remember the time he actually had, running to her to take her to the festival when they were sixteen.

His target stopped suddenly and Shikamaru nearly bowled him over, finding cover in the nick of time. Why wasn't the man moving toward the house? He slowly raised his head above the stalks of grass, hoping it was dark enough that he wouldn't be seen. There was another figure across the field. That person had also stopped.

"Yuri?" his target called out.

"Haru?" he heard a female answer. Shikamaru knew immediately that this was the woman their target had talked about non-stop. If it wasn't for the damn people inside the hut, their mission would be done and they could go home. Shikamaru had thought it odd, but he suspected that the female had some sort of bodyguard that would see the couple safely to their final destination.

He searched the area carefully, but it was too difficult to see anyone in the darkness. The moon wouldn't be out, which was bad. If there was no moon, there would be no shadows, which would complicate things. Hopefully there were other warriors with the woman, and hopefully they'd be useful. Hinata was probably in position by now, but he wasn't in a good spot to give the signal. Dammit, why did things always have to deteriorate so quickly? Luckily, he was prepared.

He was almost ready for it by the time the door of the hut was kicked off the hinges and people came spilling out of the hut. A fraction of a second later a dark shape appeared on the roof, and he knew it was Hinata. She wouldn't move until he signaled her, but at least by appearing to him she had obviously found a way to let him know she knew what was going on.

The target and his woman screamed simultaneously and flung themselves into the other's arms, holding each other tight in their terror as a good twenty warriors rushed toward them. Shikamaru popped up from the grasses and began to silently run to the couple, his kunai at the ready in his left hand. With his right, he pulled out some small bombs, igniting and scattering them as he leapt into the air. The bombs fell to the ground in front of the advancing warriors, sending turf flying amidst the smoke. The warriors fell back, coughing and shouting, which gave him enough time to throw himself into the middle of the fray. It looked like the strongest fighters were in the front, so those guys were the ones he'd take out first. Shifting a kunai to his right hand, he began to methodically slice away at his opponents, slashing at throats when he could and at abdomens when he couldn't. Warm blood sprayed his uniform and soaked through the cloth, sticking his clothes to his skin. A few warriors broke through the smoke and lunged at the target, but Shikamaru stopped them with a few well-thrown shuriken.

He stood up, panting and wiping blood out of his eye with the back of a knuckle. The metal plate on the back of his glove showed reflections of the stars. "Little bird!" he called out, and within seconds Hinata was by his side. "Herd those two into the middle of the field, where we can see everything. We need to get them away from the trees."

"Yes," she said, and immediately took hold of the target's wrist. The man struggled, attempting to defend the woman, but when Hinata took her wrist, too, they both went quickly enough. Shikamaru turned his attention from Hinata and her task to reevaluate the situation before him. He had managed to kill about half the attackers, the other half still trapped in the last bits of the smoke. Unfortunately, he had a feeling more people were lurking nearby. The best thing he could do was take them out all at once.

He formed a long series of hand seals, hoping they wouldn't move before he was finished. His voice shouted out the name of the jutsu, but the sound was lost as the attacking warriors bellowed in unison, charging him. He barely had time to leap into the air and release his technique, quickly falling back and closing his eyes. The bellows changed to noises of pain as the entire world exploded in light, casting lengthy shadows for a split second. That second was all he needed. He formed more seals, then applied his Shadow Bind, but with one small difference: not only could his prey not move, they also began to sink into the shadow spread out beneath them. They could only scream as they disappeared.

When the top of the last attacker's head vanished, Shikamaru released the jutsu and fell back into the grass, panting. It wasn't his ultimate technique, but it was close to it. A lot of time and thought had been put into developing that technique, expanding upon the talent of his clan. Unfortunately, it also put a huge drain on his chakra. He sat for a moment, catching his breath, then staggered over to where Hinata was standing. The target and his woman stood there, clutching each other, wide-eyed. Hinata's milky eyes were also startled, peering out at him from between the black wrappings around her head. So it was a brutal technique. Big deal. It was still quicker and kinder than the Rasengan.

"There's more," he told Hinata. "In the trees."

"They're just after my family's land," the woman said. "They can have it. Just let them have it," she sobbed.

"We can't. This is our job," Shikamaru replied, knowing that he violated protocol in speaking to them. He needed them tractable, however, and they wouldn't be unless he could keep lines of communication open.

"What?" the target asked.

"We're here to protect you, with our lives, if necessary." He watched the look that passed between them. Their eyes conveyed passionate love, and he felt as stab of jealousy. If only someone would look at him that way.

"But why?" the target continued.

He looked at them, knowing they could see his eyes. "So you two can keep on loving one another," he replied, and watched as they gripped one another more tightly. He couldn't see her mouth, but he knew Hinata well enough to know that she was smiling.

"They're here," she said softly, gesturing toward the trees with an inclination of her head.

"Formation, little bird," he ordered, and they both drew their kunai, backs against the couple.

"The greatest concentration is on my left," she said, and he was glad they had both been disguising their voices. The target would have recognized Hinata's for sure.

"Gotcha," he replied, and turned his attention. "Okay, you two, when my partner dashes forward, you're going to follow me. Got it?"

"Y-yes," the woman said, and the man nodded.

"All right," Shikamaru said, eyes flickering over the darkened field. "Let's do this."


	15. Chapter 15 Mission accomplished

A/N: Well, here's the last update until 9/27. I'm going off to get myself married, so you can't be upset at me. Updates will resume upon my return. While I'm away, encourage your friends to read and review. I'd love to know what people's impressions of this fic are. Enjoy!

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He didn't have to wait long, for soon more attackers were coming out of the trees. There were at least two dozen, and unlike before, these wore ninja garb, although there were no forehead protectors in evidence. Shikamaru suspected that the newcomers weren't actually from a ninja village, but instead had been trained by the missing-nin he and Hinata had been warned about. He watched as Hinata let loose a shower of kunai, dodging swiftly as the pseudo-ninja tried to hit her. She took out several with her next round of shuriken, then leapt into the air and landed on their weakest flank. The group turned to face her, but before they could react she was among them, needles in her hand. Her style was similar to her Gentle Fist, but instead of using her fingers, she used the needles, and instead of blocking chakra channels, she hit vital points. 

Shikamaru saw that she had things under control, for the moment, and so he hurried the couple away from the fray. "Here," he said, giving them a kunai each. "In case things get bad. Now, stand still, and don't move unless you absolutely have to. If you accidentally move across this barrier, I can promise you it won't feel good." He crouched and bit his thumb, quickly drawing a series of seals in the dirt around the couple. Placing a piece of paper between their feet, he bound the seal and stepped back as it flared to life. "If we die and you need to run, pierce that paper with the knife and the barrier will disappear."

"But-" the target began.

"See you later," Shikamaru said, and joined Hinata, wordlessly fighting alongside her. He guarded her blind spot, and she took care of the rest. His limbs felt heavy from chakra depletion, and his vision began to blur. "Not much left," he said. "Shouldn't have blown it all up front."

"A girl never likes to hear that," Hinata said and although he appreciated her attempts at light-heartedness, he could tell that fatigue was setting in upon her as well.

Suddenly the attacks ceased and their opponents retreated, standing apart from them in silence. "You're far from home," a raspy voice said, and Shikamaru saw a pair of real shinobi step forward. The symbols on their head protectors were scratched out, but from what he could see, they were from Wind country.

"Only because we still have a home," Shikamaru replied. He could feel the strength rolling off the shinobi in waves. These weren't just missing-nin, these were S-class criminals. He knew Hinata understood it, too, for she was trembling slightly against his side.

"It's okay," he whispered to her, not believing his own words. "Naruto's been beating guys this strong for years."

"Y-yes," she replied, standing a little straighter, but he wasn't fooled.

"Which one's stronger?"

"The tall one has more chakra in his channels."

"Okay. When I give the signal, jump back and cover your eyes. When it's safe, take out the other one. I know you can do it."

"B-but-"

"It's okay. We went through the exam together. You know you can trust me."

He felt her nod. "Don't do anything bad," she murmured.

"You mean don't do anything stupid," he said with a grimace. "You know I'm not into heroics. Too troublesome."

She smiled, and he took that opportunity to form some seals. If he lived, he really ought to up his chakra reserves. His stamina wasn't bad, but this situation proved it could obviously be better. He held his breath as his technique was initiated, his ultimate technique. Slowly his corporeal form began to fade, replaced by a shadow, darker than the night around him. The shadow took on his shape, and he heard the criminals gasp. "Are you afraid of the dark?" he asked, and his voice came out as a sibilant hiss.

The taller criminal took a step back, but suddenly Shikamaru was behind him. It took no time at all for him to move, for he was the shadow itself, and night was his domain. He reached out a dark hand and clutched the shinobi around the throat, readying a kunai, when the whole lot of them were bowled over by a stinging wind. Shikamaru gasped as he hit the ground, falling through it, as it were, since he was shadow. The pain that traveled the length of his body jolted from his technique, which left him to dig up his own leg from underneath the dirt. "Not me! Little bird!" he cried, and Hinata jumped into the air, performing kaiten as kunai suddenly rained down around them. Shikamaru barely managed to dodge the majority of them, and the ones that did slice him were not Hinata's.

"You're in over your head," a brash voice said, and suddenly one of the S-class shinobi screamed. Skeletal arms encircled his body and squeezed, a needle glinting in the starlight.

The other criminal was already in motion, intercepting Hinata as she attempted to land. Always quiet, she uttered no battle cry as she engaged the enemy, forcing Shikamaru to tear his attention away from where the first shinobi was struggling with an unknown assailant. The shorter criminal slashed at Hinata, which she avoided easily, and as she lunged in to apply her Gentle Fist, a hidden weapon appeared from his sleeve, the cruel dart heading directly for her eyes. She flinched and closed her eyes, but wasn't able to veer from her path. Shikamaru shouted, struggling from the earth that entombed his limbs, but he knew he wouldn't be in time. The dart whistled as it was released, and he felt his heart leap into his throat. There was nothing he could do.

He stopped dead in his tracks as a spray of sand erupted in front of his partner, the dart immediately lost in the particles. The sand wrapped around the body and lifted it high into the air, where sharp air currents cut him to ribbons before the sand crushed him. Hinata crouched on the ground, eyes squeezed tightly shut, leaving Shikamaru to watch as the blood dripped from the bottom of the sand cocoon. He still didn't see the people he knew he would see, and so he whipped his gaze around to the target. To his relief, the couple was still safe, standing in the circle of his seal. The other S-class criminal was dead, his tongue, which was black and swollen with poison, lolling out of his mouth.

Finally pulling his limbs free of the dirt, he crawled over to Hinata, arriving the same time as a shadowy figure. Shikamaru put his arms around the small woman and pulled her close, looking up at the figure defiantly. The person blotted out his vision of the stars. "That's Naruto's woman," a deadpan voice said.

"Yes," Shikamaru said roughly.

"You shouldn't touch her."

"She's my friend. I'm protecting her."

"Bah." There was a hiss of sand.

"No, it's all right," Hinata protested, standing up. "It's all right, Gaara!"

Shikamaru sighed and fell back in the grass, feeling the sticky sweat and blood on his body for the first time. Damn, he was tired. He stayed there for a moment, then sat up. He could see someone lurking near his target. With a grunt, he stood up and made his way over, releasing the seal. Kankuro executed a sleep genjustu, and soon the pair was snoozing gently in the grass. "Yo," he said.

"Hey," Shikamaru answered. "Your poison's going to make that corpse smell awful tomorrow."

Kankuro shrugged. "It's still a corpse."

Shikamaru grunted, looking over to where Gaara was examining Hinata. "So the criminals were your target?"

"Yeah. They're good, old-fashioned traitors. That girl's the daughter of an important man in our country, though, so her well-being was our secondary objective. She made great bait."

"Damn. Better you than us," Shikamaru drawled. He nodded to Kankuro, who was already shouldering the slumbering civilians, and strolled back over to Hinata and Gaara, trying to hide his limp. He'd nearly broken his leg, being slammed into the earth like that.

"I'm fine, Gaara, really. Besides, I'm the medic," Hinata was saying.

"I'll not let someone hurt Naruto's woman," Gaara said.

Hinata smiled. "And we both appreciate it," she replied, reaching over and gently patting his upper arm. To Shikamaru's surprise, Gaara actually smiled, sort of.

"Cute," he heard someone say in his ear, breath warm against his skin.

"Temari," he breathed.

The woman put a hand on his shoulder and spun him so that he faced her. Her eyes glittered in the darkness and a smirk was on her face. "Saved your behind again."

"As if," he grunted. "I had him taken care of."

She shrugged. "That was a pretty serious technique. You wouldn't have survived it, so I stepped in."

"And damn near killed me anyway," he growled, shoving his hands in his pockets and wincing as he did so.

She scowled, her features fuzzy in the dark. "Ingrate," she muttered, smacking him on the arm. He gasped and faltered, and suddenly her arms were around him, holding him up.

"I see," he gasped. "You saved me so you could kill me yourself."

"Okay, I get it," she snapped. "I didn't know you were actually hurt. You hide it well."

"Some say I hide everything well."

Suddenly her hand was on his rear, passing over it as she moved to assist him. "I'll say."

He hissed as she helped him walk to Hinata. "Have you no shame?" he asked.

Her smile was so wide he could even see it in the darkness, her teeth white in his peripheral vision. "None," she chortled. "Hey, girl, you're a medic?"

"Her name's Hinata," Gaara said sharply.

"Whatever," Temari replied. "Hinata, this fella's hurt. When you've tended yourself, attend to him."

Shikamaru felt thoroughly annoyed at how bossy Temari was being. She was even worse than Ino. At least when Ino was bossy, he knew she was showing she cared. He had no idea why Temari was bossy. "Do what you want, Hinata," he added.

Hinata shook her head and sighed. "I'll take care of everyone," she replied. "Is the cabin a good place to stay?"

"It's fine, we'll just have to all tent outside tonight" Kankuro said, appearing next to her. "I put the sleeping beauties in there. There's a tub out back, too."

Shikamaru desperately wanted to call dibs on the tub, but that would have taken too much energy. "You go first, Hinata," he said.

"But you need clean water for your wounds," she protested.

"You do, too," he replied.

"I'll get fresh water for both of you," Gaara said, and from him it sounded like a pronouncement from the emperor.

"Thank you," Hinata said, and the group of them shuffled off to put things in order.

Shikamaru sat on the bench outside the cabin, watching Gaara watch Hinata as she wrapped bandages around his injuries. "You should have been more careful," she commented as she tied off the wrapping on a nasty cut on Shikamaru's leg.

"Eh, worked out fine," he muttered, amused at how protective of the woman Gaara was. He liked that Gaara held Naruto in such high esteem that he would protect what Naruto cared about. Of course, Naruto would have died to save Gaara, too. Things could definitely be worse. After all, Shikamaru had an opportunity to bathe, eat Hinata's wonderful cooking, and was currently slathered in pain salve. "Thanks, Hinata."

She nodded. "No problem. You should go to bed now."

"Sure," he replied, looking to where Kankuro had set up three tents,one for the two Sand males, one for Temari, and the one that Shikamaru and Hinata shared. "See you in a bit."

"Okay," she replied, wrapping up her supplies under Gaara's watchful eyes.

He limped to his tent and slid inside, stripping down to his underwear and hoping Hinata didn't mind. It felt so good to not move. If only he could watch the stars, he thought, and immediately drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16 Temari takes her reward

A/N: Wow, I should leave you all hanging for a week more often! Heh heh. I got some really spectacular reviews while I was gone. Thank you so much! I deeply appreciate the feedback.

Well, obviously I'm back from the wedding/honeymoon business, and this story will proceed as planned.

Warning: This chapter is basically one long, racy scene between Temari and Shikamaru. I, personally, don't think it's graphic sex (nothing you wouldn't see on cable TV). However, it's probably higher than a PG-13, but definitely not an R, so consider yourself warned if this sort of thing makes you uncomfortable. You really won't miss anything (except the entertainment value of an awkward Shikamaru) if you skip this chapter and move on to the next.

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A rustling at the tent flap woke him, proving to him more than anything else how on edge he was. "Hinata?" he asked groggily. 

"No," he heard someone whisper, and suddenly he was pushed back onto the ground, fierce, hot lips against his. He shuddered as his mouth was pried open and taken in a deep kiss, his body temperature immediately rising. Hands ran lightly over his chest, a soft, warm body pressed against him. A slightly spicy sent filled his nostrils as the hands explored his body, and in his half-awake state he began to moan.

"Hush," the voice whispered again. "I'll take my reward for saving you now."

Shikamaru could do nothing but pant as slightly rough fingertips caressed the flesh over his ribs. "Temari?" he finally managed to croak, suddenly embarrassed over how little control he had over his body's expression of arousal.

"Yes," she murmured. "Do you want me stop?"

He twitched with pleasure as her soft mouth drew a line down his throat and onto his chest, unable to answer. His senses were brimming with her soft skin and gentle curves, her strong muscles moving beneath it all. Her bare flesh filled his hands as he touched her, suddenly hungry to explore. She groaned and pressed against him harder, then was suddenly astride him.

Shikamaru was fairly certain he cried out as she did what she wanted, and he was aware of little else as his head spun with the feeling of so much naked woman pressed against him. When she started to move he thought his head would explode. He wasn't even conscious of when he started to move with her, his brain filled with electric pleasure. The feelings of heat, of bare skin, of scent and motion were too much for him, and he almost lost control. At the last moment, however, he remembered all the stories of women upset that they didn't get theirs, and he was determined not to be a lousy lover. Even Shikamaru had his pride.

His hands found their way to her hips, clamping down on them and doing his best. He wasn't sure what she wanted, or even if what he was doing was correct, but he had to do something. It was becoming increasingly difficult to master his own body, however, and he was certain he was going to lose it at any moment. Temari made a noise and started to shudder, and it didn't take him long to follow her, collapsing onto his blankets, covered in sweat. She curled against his chest, her slightly wiry hair in his face, and he could feel the beating of her heart between her ample breasts. Little gasping breaths issued forth from her, and finally she sighed and sat up, her thighs still on either side of his narrow hips. He couldn't see the expression on her face, but he would have bet money she was smiling. His hands gripped her knees and he groaned, unable to form words. Pleasure mixed with bafflement washed over him, a condition that only worsened as she moved away from him. He heard the rustle of fabric and she left the tent, coming back a few moments later. He barely noticed, because he was having trouble remembering his name, he was so filled with bliss.

Temari shed her clothes once more and tucked herself into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. "You were a virgin, weren't you?" she whispered.

He felt his face turn red and was glad the tent was completely dark. "That bad, eh?" he replied acidly.

Her warm chuckle filled the hot tent. "No, quite the opposite. I should have known a genius would have been good for something."

"Temari," he began, "I wasn't prepared, what if-"

She cut him off. "It's fine," she said. "There won't be little Temari Naras running round. I applied the proper jutsu before I came in."

"Ah," was all he had the energy to say.

"I hope you didn't mind," she purred, pressing her soft body against him, and the feeling was delicious. He barely knew her, and yet he felt almost as close to her as he did his best friends. Her curves, her skin, her smells, and her textures were incredible to him.

"No," he breathed.

"Mind if I stay?"

"No."

"Good night," she murmured, taking his earlobe between her teeth for a moment, then kissing him on the cheek. He turned his head and clumsily tried to catch her lips until she laughed and kissed him on the mouth. As she snuggled into his side, her arm draped across his chest and her thigh resting on his, a comfortable, pleasant feeling descended upon him and he embarked upon a wonderful night of dreamless sleep. 


	17. Chapter 17 The morning after

A/N: Well, you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter. Hope it didn't offend anyone. I really only wrote it because I thought it would have been bizarre to just show Temari shuffling out of Shikamaru's tent the next morning. As for those of you who were confused by the scene- you were supposed to feel confused, because Shikamaru was horribly confused, and this story is from his point of view, after all.

Anyway, there are some more references in this chapter, but it's only a tiny bit raunchy. I figure Temari can be pretty raunchy at times, though.

Enjoy, and leave a review, if you're so inclined.

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Shikamaru woke slowly the next morning, his limbs feeling limber and fluid despite his various cuts and bruises. Yawning, he stretched in the honeyed light coming through the fabric of the tent, then gave a start as he rolled onto his side and was confronted with a tangle of golden hair. Temari lay on the blankets beside him, not a stitch of clothing on. 

The events of the night before came rushing back to him, and his body immediately reacted in a lustful manner. Ashamed, he stole a glance at her, relieved to find that she was still asleep. The swell of her hip and shoulder were made even softer by the diffused golden light, making her skin seem as if it glowed from within. He wondered if all women were so beautiful after being made love to. A part of him wanted to reach out and touch her, to try and establish a bond or be close to her, but his inherent wariness stopped him. He didn't want to be involved with her, if only because it would be truly troublesome. Temari was actually very interesting, and from what he knew of her as a person made him like her, sort of, but a romantic relationship with her seemed like it would be way too much work for very little reward. Besides, he was pretty sure a relationship was the opposite of what she wanted.

His body jerked as she startled him by rolling over, large, soft breasts pressed between her arm and the ground. Her blue eyes were so dark they looked almost black as she looked up at him, a slow smile on her face. "Good morning, handsome," she murmured, and he marveled at how she managed to look dangerous even lying naked on her side.

"Hi," he replied, tearing his eyes away from her chest with some difficulty. She chuckled and gave herself a soft shake, making her womanly parts jiggle slightly. He blushed and gazed resolutely at the ceiling.

"It really was your first time!" she laughed.

Shikamaru groaned and rubbed his face with both hands. "Yeah, good for you," he said, voice muffled behind his palms.

She moved over and pressed herself against him again, rolling onto her stomach and supporting herself with her elbows. One of her hands lazily moved across his skin, a soft smile on her face. If he wasn't mistaken, she almost looked tender. "It was a lot of fun," she said quietly. "More fun than I've had in a long time."

He sighed and folded his arms behind his head, thinking how attractive her disheveled hair looked. "Good, so long that's all that it was."

"Fun?"

"Yeah. Don't tell me you expect more than that?"

She scowled for a moment. "And if I did?"

The corners of his mouth curled upward. "But you don't."

Her scowl faded and was replaced by a grin. "Dammit, you're too smart for your own good."

He tentatively reached for her and cupped her jaw, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. Her skin was slightly rough, as if it had been shaped by the sandy winds of her home as much as by genetics. "That's what they tell me," he whispered.

She sighed and rolled onto her side, throwing her thigh over his once more. His body shivered slightly under her touch, and, to his chagrin, began to get excited. "Oh my," she purred, eyelids lowering as she smiled.

It took all the willpower Shikamaru had to think of something besides sex. Thoughts raced through his brain until finally one stuck. It was so clear in his mind's eye that it brought him up short, pain rippling through his chest. The image was of Ino, looking up at him in the streetlight. He wanted her, he thought suddenly, then scowled. What a pain- Temari was offering him uncomplicated sex, and all he could think of was the woman he couldn't have.

Temari sighed. "Damn, you're too good at this. Good self-control. I admire that. Don't make me want more from you than I do already," she said softly.

Although her tone was sarcastic, he suddenly knew her to be telling the truth. "Yeah, I'm not like the other boys. That's why you got first crack at me." He smiled as she laughed. "And I think we understand one another. I'm your boyfriend, but you're not my girlfriend. Just physical."

She nodded against his shoulder. "Until I say it's over, don't take another girl out to dinner, okay?"

Shikamaru sighed, his arm threaded beneath Temari's head with his broad hand on her shoulder. This was going to be troublesome. "Not even a friend?"

Temari's eyebrows drew together sharply. "Not even a friend."

He heard the unspoken words that let him know that she considered him hers. Well, at least he had a good reason not to pursue Ino now, rather than simple lack of self-confidence. "Fine, fine," he muttered.

She didn't hug him, just sat up and fixed her hair before sliding back into her clothes. "So I'm going to come see you next weekend. I'll have some time off," she announced, lacing up her shuriken pouch.

Shikamaru sat bolt upright, blood draining from his face. "Uh, that's not a good weekend," he stammered.

Temari raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why not?"

"It's just not."

Her eyes narrowed. "What's happening that weekend?"

His brain raced for an excuse, wondering what he could possibly say that she would believe. Somehow he didn't think that washing his hair would be a good excuse. Scenes from an imaginary future flashed through his mind, all of them indicating that having Temari there would be a disaster. By the way she was looking at him, though, not telling her the truth might cause a larger disaster.

"It's my friend's wedding," he grumbled, painfully aware that he had lost the struggle.

Her eyes lit up as she tied her belt and pulled on her shorts. "The kid we got the bowl for?"

"That's the one," he sighed.

"Oh, I'll be there! It's on Saturday?"

"Yeah."

A grin spread across her face, and this time there was no hint of evil in the expression. "I'll show up Friday night, then. This'll be fun."

Shikamaru felt like a man condemned to death. He just knew Temari would cause a scene, even though Chouji had told him he could bring someone. "I'm standing up for the groom, so you'd have to sit alone during the ceremony."

"Fine by me," she said, throwing open the tent flap, leaving him to scramble to cover himself. "I'm sure there's some other handsome fellow to sit with."

He was annoyed twofold as she slid out of the tent. Firstly, it was troublesome that she found him handsome. He knew he wasn't much to look at. Secondly, it bothered him that she was going to find some other fellow to sit with. He knew that she would live her life however she pleased, and that was fine with him, but it would have been nice to know somebody preferred him, at least. That feeling was even more troublesome than the first two. Sighing, he dressed himself and straightened up the tent, slipping outside and packing his things, including the tent.

Hinata had already cooked breakfast, and as he watched Temari devour the porridge, he realized that Gaara, Kankuro, and Hinata had already eaten. A glance at the sky told him that it was getting close to midmorning. He scowled and walked over to where the three sat in front of the hut, playing some sort of card game. They stopped as he approached and Kankuro picked up the cards. "We figured we'd let you two sleep in," he said without a hint of a smile.

"Great," Shikamaru growled. "Thanks a lot." He walked past them towards the food, trying to catch Hinata's eye, but she just blushed and looked at the ground. Dishing up some porridge, he plopped down next to Temari and started to eat.

He was halfway through the bowl when Temari chuckled to herself. A slow smile spread across her face as she put her hand on his thigh. He blushed but tried to ignore her, instead stuffing another spoonful of food into his mouth. "You know," she said, a little too loudly for his pleasure, "You're pretty well-hung."

A fit of violent coughing seized him, his lungs struggling as he vainly tried to keep porridge from coming out his nose. Wheezing issued forth from him, and he groped around for his canteen. Temari chuckled and stood, giving him a brief pat on the head, then swaggered over to her brothers. Shikamaru's face alternated between white and purple, and finally he settled for mortified instead of humiliated. Kankuro grimaced at him while Hinata, face red, got up and ran several feet away, where she sat on her heels, her back facing them. Gaara gave his sister a dirty look and stood up. "Once we've cleaned up, we will leave here," the boy announced.

Kankuro nodded, also standing. "We'll take the couple to where they're supposed to go. You guys go home."

Shikamaru looked up at them, scratching his head. "Yeah, okay, our mission's complete, anyway," he muttered. "Thanks for your help, guys."

"Oh, I think it worked out fine," Kankuro sighed, eyes on his sister, who seemed in very good spirits. "Our trip home will be a lot more pleasant."

Shikamaru squinted at Hinata. "Good for you."

Kankuro slapped him on the shoulder and Shikamaru stood, looking down into the other man's face. "You don't know how long she's been wanting to do that. She's talked more about you than any other guy."

"I take it she does this to guys a lot."

Kankuro looked slightly uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to another. "Well, yeah. We've become used to it."

"Well, hope the other guys treat her right."

"They mostly just beg her to come back to them. She hates sissies."

"Well, I don't beg," Shikamaru said. "Thanks guys," he directed to all of them, for Gaara and Hinata had finished up the packing.

"See you next weekend!" Temari cried with a wave, the girlfriend of their target slung over her shoulder.

Shikamaru watched Hinata glance at him briefly before looking away. "Uh, yeah. Later," he replied, and followed Hinata as they struck out for home.


	18. Chapter 18 Conversation with Hinata

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I'm happy to be back on schedule. Sorry the chapters are so short. Thanks for all the great feedback!

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They had been walking for two days and still Hinata hadn't said anything. Normally that would have been fine with him, since he didn't care too much for conversation, but he knew Hinata well enough to understand that the reason she wasn't talking was because she was very upset about something. Besides, he cared about her, he grudgingly admitted to himself, and counted her among his close friends. If something was bothering her, he wanted to help, even if it probably would be troublesome. Doing nothing would be just as troublesome, anyway, since she would probably remain upset and ruin what little peace he was getting out of the walk back home. 

It was midmorning by the time he actually decided to say something. "Okay, what's up?" he asked her, stopping in his tracks.

Hinata walked a few more steps and glanced at him over her shoulder, eyes downcast and cheeks red. They had changed back into civilian clothes, so she actually looked like quite the proper little lady. After looking at him for a moment, she shook her head violently and began walking again, her pace slightly quicker.

"Come on, Hinata," he said, easily matching her speed. "Something's bothering you. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Y-yes," she murmured, looking at the ground.

"Then we can talk about this, right?"

"I-it's not really any of my business," she stammered.

"Well, you must have some opinion about whatever it is, because otherwise it wouldn't be bothering you." He scratched the scalp above his ear and looked down at her, eyebrows slightly drawn together. Hinata's face was still angled toward the ground, the daylight revealing the purple highlights the sun had bleached in her hair. They walked a few more steps, then she tilted her face up to his, her brown contacts startling him. She seemed as if she was going to say something, then shook her head, cheeks staining pink.

"It's about Temari, isn't it," he said. "What about that bothers you?"

"It was just so sudden."

He shrugged. "Well, it's not like I planned it. She just sort of jumped me. I didn't know any better."

Hinata simply nodded, and he was glad she understood. At least he would be spared the indignity of admitting it had been his first time. "Do you love her?" she asked, surprising him.

He felt beads of sweat form at his hairline as his own cheeks began to burn. "Ah, no, I don't. I really don't know her very well."

She frowned slightly. "Do you think you will fall in love with her?"

Images of blonde hair and eyes the color of the sky flashed through his brain, a portrait of a lovely girl with wet hands clutching three red carnations to her chest burned into his mind. "No," he said firmly, a scowl settling on his thin eyebrows.

Hinata blinked up at him. "Never?"

He took a deep breath. "Never. And she knows it. That's not what she wants."

"But you did it anyway."

For some reason her words made him feel dirty, whereas the act had made him feel anything but. "Yeah, I did. We're adults, and we were careful. It's okay."

They walked in silence for several more minutes, Shikamaru squinting as the sun rose high overhead. They stopped for lunch by the side of the road and had a quick meal, not a word passing between them. "What about Ino?"

Shikamaru felt his heart skip a beat and something cold grow in his chest. "What about her?" The bitterness in his voice surprised him.

Hinata looked at him levelly. "Ah," she said softly.

A few more moments passed, and finally he couldn't take it any more. "She's always dating other people," he blurted, hating himself for the irrational anger that surged inside of him. "Ino always has a boyfriend, and when we're together we have the best time, yet the next day she's necking with her new guy. I've known her for years and she never even gives me a second glance. It was always 'Sasuke' this and 'Sasuke' that, and nothing's changed since but the name of the guy she's after. There's no place for me there."

His friend lowered her gaze and quietly began packing up their lunches. "I understand," she says. "If you hadn't intervened that day, I don't know if I would have ever had the strength to talk to Naruto about how I felt."

Shikamaru swallowed. "I'm not in love with Ino. I don't want to be her lover." He didn't think it was a lie, but it tasted sour on his tongue nonetheless.

She reached out and put her hand on his. "It's all right. I won't tell anyone anything."

"Temari wants me," he muttered.

Hinata laughed. "She certainly does. She actually offered me money to let her sleep in my spot."

His eyebrows shot up. "What? Really?"

Her smile was beautiful and kind, the smile of a sister. He had always known he would trust Hinata with his life, but in that moment she was infinitely precious to him. "Really. I want you to be happy," she said. "But don't close yourself off from other options."

He sighed and nodded his head. "Sure thing, Sis," he muttered, and helped her pack up her things.


	19. Chapter 19 Unexpected houseguest

A/N: So, here you go, the beginning of Chouji's wedding. Hopefully you won't be disappointed about the first meeting of Ino and Temari. Don't worry, it'll mess things up for Shikamaru for chapters to come. Heh. A few people have asked for Naruto/Hinata moments. There aren't any so far, since this is Shikamaru's story, but I'll see what I can work in to his point of view. I really like that couple; they really seem to temper and complement one another well. That probably won't be until closer to the end of the fic, though. Anyhow, hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you're not disappointed (or even if you are), let me know! There's more to come...

* * *

Shikamaru fumbled for his keys, wishing he hadn't partaken of so much sake at Chouji's wedding rehearsal, not to mention the bachelor party, which had only lasted a few hours but was very intense. There hadn't been any women of ill-repute there, but there had been drinking games a-plenty. Lee, of course, had to be sedated immediately via a jutsu, and Kiba had actually thrown up multiple times before passing out. It had been an insane party, and he was glad he had the foresight to drink a ton of water along with his alcohol.

The door swung inward, almost the entirety of his small apartment revealed as he stepped inside. His place was really just a small box in a complex of larger boxes, but it was home. He loved having his own place, his own space to make a mess in, or fall asleep on the floor or the sofa, if he so desired. Flicking on the lights, he went absolutely still as he realized that the place was spotless. Someone had been here, and they had cleaned his apartment. His hand slowly moved toward his kunai pouch, fingertips brushing against the cold metal.

"Oh, stop that," someone said, and he whipped out the knife, lowered into a battle stance. He immediately straightened up and stared, dumbfounded, as a woman entered the room, wearing nothing but one of his baggier old button-down dress shirts. Sandy hair and dark blue eyes greeted him, along with bare, muscular legs and the fabric of his shirt stretched tight across a generous chest.

"Temari?" he gurgled, falling back against the wall. "You scared the crap out of me."

She laughed and walked over to him, wrinkling her nose. "You smell like sake," she growled.

"No kidding. I was at a bachelor party."

Sighing, she closed the door and led him further inside. "You're taking a shower before you come to bed."

His body reacted immediately to the promise in her words, shaming him. "Fine," he groaned.

She looked him up and down with a sly smile, suddenly pulling him close and pressing her body against his, creating even deeper cleavage. Something inside him quivered and he became very warm. Her hand found his rear and gave it a squeeze. "Maybe I'll join you," she murmured, and pressed her mouth to his.

When he woke up the next morning, it took him a few minutes to recall what had happened. Rolling over, his hand brushed against something warm and soft, and he started as he realized Temari was still in bed with him, soundly sleeping. He groaned and rubbed his face, his eyes feeling as if someone had poured sand in them. As he sat up he realized that his body was utterly exhausted. It was a miracle they had even made it to the bed after things got interesting in the shower the night before.

Swinging his legs over the side, he rubbed his face for a few more moments, then stood shakily and returned to the shower. When he reentered the room, Temari rolled over, a slow smile creeping across her face. "Did you miss me?" she purred.

Considering it had been a week since their first encounter, he sort of had. "Yeah, actually," he replied. He let her see his honesty, then smirked. "I really missed being bossed around constantly."

She scowled and threw a pillow at him, but the gesture lacked malice. "You didn't get me up to shower," she pouted, rolling out from under the covers and startling him with her naked glory. Temari's body was thick with muscle, but she was also soft and somehow ripe. Just looking at her aroused him, much to his chagrin.

"Sorry," he muttered, pulling on some socks. "You didn't tell me you'd be here when I got home."

"Stupid," she growled, swatting his arm. "I told you I was coming to the wedding. You didn't even leave me a key. I had to break in."

He realized how difficult it was to be a ninja's lover. "Sorry," he reiterated, not interested in pursuing the matter.

"It's going to take me a while to get ready. What time do we have to be there?"

Shikamaru glanced at the clock. "Two hours."

She stood, her hips swaying as she came over to him, and patted him on the cheek. "Okay. I'll only be an hour and a half. Fix us lunch, won't you?"

Openmouthed, he mindlessly nodded his consent, his eyes shamelessly fixed upon her chest. The realization that she was walking all over him slowly dawned on him, and he scowled. "It's not fair to distract me when you're forcing me to make promises," he grumbled.

"All's fair," she chortled, and shut herself in the bathroom.

Shikamaru sighed and went to the kitchen. Sure enough, in an hour and a half he heard the bedroom door open and Temari came into the room. The saliva fled his mouth, and he couldn't help but stare at her. She was wearing a dress that looked like a kimono cut off just above the knees, and with the collar off her shoulders. All her succulent parts were either partly showing or were hinted at, and he found her quite alluring. She was going to cause a stir at the wedding. He would never hear the end of it. "Nice," he said, trying to pretend like he didn't care.

"Thanks," she said, looking at him from underneath her eyelashes and blushing slightly. Pausing a moment, she looked into his face, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. "You do think I'm attractive, right?"

Shikamaru's nostrils flared. "Yeah," he grunted, not wanting to elaborate how his hormones clamored every single time she walked in the room. He had never really been with a woman before, and the fact that he could actually have one sent his entire mental state into shambles. Then again, no woman would have him except for Temari, and he was far too sensible to want women he couldn't have. Wasn't he?

Temari raised an eyebrow. "Okay," she said, and sat down at the small table with him. There was little room on the tabletop, what with his go board folded and stacked to one side. He watched as she tidily dug into her food, a smile breaking over her face. "Hey, you're a decent cook. Guess it's not too much trouble to learn how to fix good food, eh?"

He shrugged. "It was more trouble to be broke because I ate out every night."

"Ah," she replied, and they ate in silence, cleaned up in silence (Shikamaru doing almost all of the work, to his chagrin), tidied themselves up, and set off for the wedding. Temari was wearing sensible shoes, so they walked along at a pretty good clip. He noticed that they were gathering stares as they made their way to the ceremony grounds, and at first it made him rather uncomfortable. Then he realized that they were staring at Temari, and a few guys shot envious glances his way. A smile flickered over his lips, and he caught himself looking forward to the stir it would cause. He just hoped the electric moment of shock would be worth the trouble it would cause afterwards.

They entered the temple through the side door, appearing in the midst of a crowd of people. The members of the throng were all involved in the wedding somehow, and Shikamaru noticed that the women were starting to move off towards a different chamber, probably where Naomi was preparing. "You can just find yourself a seat, I guess, and we can join up again after the ceremony," he said to the handsome woman on his arm.

"Unless I find somebody I like better," she said with a wink, and he knew she meant it, despite her tone. He sighed and rolled his eyes, which prompted her grab him by the back of the neck and kiss him deeply, her arms wrapped around him tightly and her body pressed the length of him.

He broke the kiss breathlessly, cheeks stained pink, and unwillingly met the stares of the group. A pair of sky-blue eyes were fixed upon him, and he saw Ino gazing straight at him. Her face was a mask of shock, her arms limp where they grasped the forearm of her latest boyfriend. She began to blink rapidly and her face went pale, then mottled red. Time froze as their eyes locked, ice creeping through his veins. Ino looked stunning, clad in a kimono the color of her eyes, the hem a dark purple that faded into the blue with a honey-colored obi wrapped around her midsection. Her lips parted slowly and shaped a soundless word, and his chest lurched as he saw something in her face crack and die. A shudder wracked him as her face hardened, and time resumed its normal pace with such force that he grunted with the shock of it. Ino gripped the arm of her boyfriend so tightly that her fingernails turned white, her boyfriend wincing as she did so. For a moment she looked as if she was going to leap forward and sink a kunai into his chest, and he tensed as he prepared for an onslaught. The attack never came, however, and when he searched her face he saw nothing but the chill of deepest winter in her eyes. With a snap of her clothing, she turned on her heel and strode back out of the temple the way she came in.

"Ouch," he heard someone say, and he looked down at Temari, startled that she was still wrapped in his arms. "That was like a train wreck- it was awful to watch, but I couldn't help myself."

"Be glad you weren't in the wreck," he grumbled, his chest aching terribly. He wasn't sure what was going on, but something was wrong with Ino. He only hoped that Chouji hadn't noticed. Nothing should get in the way of his friend's happiness on his wedding day.

Temari sighed and slapped him on the back. "Hey, I've been privy to plenty of train wrecks. Trust me, guys don't like it when you leave them."

"I don't think anyone likes that. I probably won't like it when you dump me, either."

Temari's smile was wicked. "Play nice and maybe you'll get to stick around for more than a couple weeks," she said, and before he could reply, she was off and searching for a seat. He noticed she was examining chairs in the area that would afford her the best view of the groomsman.

He scanned the room quickly for any sign of Ino but was disappointed, so he navigated through the people decorating chairs with ribbon to the room where Chouji would be getting ready. Opening the door, he slipped inside and hung back against the wall as Chomaru and his wife were hovering around their son, making gestures as if to touch him before pulling their hands back sharply. "It's fine," Chouji shouted, scowling at his parents. The young man exhaled sharply before pursing his lips.

Shikamaru smiled. Chouji was worked up into a lather. The large boy rarely became flustered, which was why they were such close friends, but when he did, it was a sight to see. Until this moment, he had only seen Chouji get upset over remarks about his weight. "Yo," he said, hoping is presence would distract his friend from his well-meaning parents.

"Finally," Chouji cried, stepping away from family members fussing at his clothing. He clapped Shikamaru on the shoulder. "Where were you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"What time is it?" Shikamaru asked, actually alarmed, and noticed that the clock did indeed reinforce Chouji. "Oh, crap. Sorry," he grumbled.

"No worries," Chouji replied, waving away an aunt. "Did you find Ino? She was looking for you earlier."

Shikamaru tried his best to keep his face neutral, he really did, but Ino's reaction bothered him to his very core. "Uh, yeah," he said.

Chouji, however, was sharper than people gave him credit for. "Okay, what happened?"

"I don't know. She showed up with her boyfriend and freaked out."

Chouji scowled. "And why was that? Ino doesn't freak out for no reason."

Shikamaru shot him a look.

Chouji chuckled. "Okay, she usually doesn't freak out without a reason. So what'd you do?"

"I found Temari at my apartment last night. She's here with me."

The larger man took a deep breath and shook his head. "Oh man."

"What?"

"You know I care about you, but you're just going to have to figure this out on your own, Shikamaru. After all, my love life isn't a mess, and you're the genius."

Shikamaru knew that Chouji meant no rebuke, but he felt it anyway. "Yeah, let's get you ready for your wedding," he said with a slight smile.

"Right," Chouji replied, and let his mother pin a flower to his lapel.


	20. Chapter 20 End of the wedding

A/N: I'm updating a day early because I won't be around tomorrow to update. The next update will be Friday. Also, a few people made some good comments that I'd like to respond to. Someone felt Chouji was a bit snippy to Shikamaru in the last chapter. I figure that Shikamaru has a propensity to complain, and that simply wasn't something Chouji wanted to listen to on his wedding day. Also, the thing with Ino's entrance: it's before the wedding, people are milling around. Hence "the group." He broke off the kiss and everyone in the room was staring at them. So, hope that explains that. I guess I shouldn't have assumed that everyone's been to weddings like that. Sorry!

Hope this chapter isn't a disappointment. Please enjoy!

* * *

The wedding went surprisingly smoothly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, since all those gathered had been eager to see Naomi and Chouji wed. Shikamaru stood beside his best friend, smiling and nodding whenever Chouji sent a nervous glance his way. Ino stood beside Naomi, and he could see that she was doing the same for the trembling bride. Neither of the soon-to-be-newlyweds seemed anxious, but rather unable to contain their excitement or fully believe that nothing would go wrong. Shikamaru knew for a fact that the decision to ask Naomi to marry him had been the easiest decision of Chouji's life. For his part, Shikamaru barely paid attention to what the priest was saying to the couple, instead focusing completely on Ino. She looked so beautiful in her kimono, with her hair piled atop her head, exposing her alabaster neck. Everything about her sang grace and beauty, and he found himself applying the physical knowledge imparted to him by Temari to Ino. He could see the slight swell of Ino's muscular hips outlined by the fabric, and he wondered what her hip would look like tangled in his sheets, or her ash-blonde hair spread over his pillows. Once she managed to catch his eye, and he must have worn his thoughts on his face, for she quickly looked away and blushed. As he watched, her blush faded away, her face going pale as her eyes seemed sad, and then her entire countenance slowly began to burn with the anger he knew so well. 

After the ceremony was over and everyone had retired to the reception and eaten their fill, he was forced to dance with Ino. It was tradition, and Chouji and Naomi were actually pretty traditional people. They were joined on the dance floor by Chouji and Naomi, who had already had their first dance alone, along with the parents of the couple. Sweat broke out along his hairline as he placed his hand at the small of Ino's back, her light scent overpowering him. Ino was just as muscular as Temari, but her muscles were lean where Temari's were bulky and powerful. She looked up at him with her light blue eyes for only a moment, but that was all it took to send him into a trance. He gazed down at her, taking in the sight of her red, full lips, wondering how she tasted.

As they slowly rotated around the dance floor, he caught Temari's eyes. A shudder ran through him at the calculating look he saw on her face. She was a handsome woman, and he could see several men sending furtive glances her way, but she still scared the hell out of him. He pulled Ino closer reflexively, surprised as she stiffened. "Ino," he whispered.

A scowl marred her lovely face. "Shut up," she hissed. "I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to be touched by you."

Her words stung him in ways he hadn't expected. "What did I do?"

"I said shut up," she spat, the volume of her voice too low to be heard by anyone but him. "You can talk all you want to later with your sexy girlfriend."

He sighed and was punished with a narrowing of Ino's eyes. "She's not my girlfriend. I didn't even invite her. Besides, how come you can have boyfriends and I can't have a girlfriend?"

Ino totally ignored his question. "She sticks her tongue down your throat and you don't even consider her your girlfriend? Aren't you in love with her?"

"No," he whispered, feeling more desperate by the minute. The fact that Naomi and Chouji were drifting blissfully around the room didn't help matters any. He knew he should be overjoyed on their wedding day, but instead he was in hell.

"That poor woman!" Ino hissed. "You asshole!"

He winced as she dug her fingers into his upper arm as hard as she could, which really hurt. Ino was a hell of a lot stronger than she looked. See, this was exactly why girls were so troublesome. Relationships were troublesome. It was all too much damn trouble. Why did he even bother? Was the fun he had with Temari really worth it? Well, Temari _was_ quite attractive, but still….

"Ino," he whispered, but she refused to look at him. Her body remained stiff in his grip. Her nostrils were flared and she was taking deep breaths. There was no way in hell she could hide her rage from him. It was obvious she didn't want to talk to him. He'd managed to completely screw up their relationship, but he wasn't sure exactly how. Ino, obviously, was not going to be of any help.

The song ended shortly after that, and it seemed like the moment he released Ino, holding on to her for a long as possible as she tore herself away from him and dashed off, Temari was in his arms, grabbing him in inappropriate places. "Come on," she half-growled, dragging him to the middle of the dancing.

"Cripes, can't you give a guy two seconds?" Shikamaru snapped.

"Not when he's the most interesting guy here," she said with a smile. Damn, her smiles were sexy.

He glanced around the room, blushing. "Whatever," he muttered. "I thought you were going to snag some other victim."

She shrugged, taking his hands and plastering them to her hips. "I was, but they're all dull. You're the only man here with a brain. Why, do you want to dance with the princess again instead?"

Shikamaru was often annoyed, but very rarely was he actually angry. "She's not a princess," he snarled, ready to throw Temari aside despite the fact he knew she could kick his ass all over town.

Temari's dark blue eyes opened wide, her golden eyebrows arching. "Oh, my. Is she an ex-girlfriend?"

"No," he spat. "She was one of my best friends."

"Bullshit," Temari replied with a smile. "That girl has the hots for you big-time."

Something twisted inside his chest. "Yeah, right. We've been friends for years. She never even gave me a glance. She's probably been through more guys than you have."

Temari laughed, the sound brash and full of sassy energy. "She's not serious with them. That girl's just playing with those boys."

He hated this conversation. "And you're not just toying with me?"

Her jovial mood melted away, her dark eyes serious. "No, Shikamaru, I'm not. I want you, and you know it. Nothing in life is more true than that."

"Then why is it so much damn trouble?"

She pressed her body against him, resting her head on his chest. "Because you can't let go," she said.

The rest of the reception wasn't too bad. Ino still refused to look at him or come within ten feet of where he happened to be, but there were plenty other friends there to hang out with. He couldn't help but wonder how things might have turned out if neither he nor Ino had brought dates, and Temari's words hadn't helped matters. Still, he thought she was right. It was time to let go. He wasn't sure what he wanted from Ino, or what he felt about her, but whatever it was, it was over. She obviously hated him, and he was pretty sure there was nothing he could do about it. Even if there was, it was bound to be loads of trouble. He was sick and tired of trouble.

Temari turned out to be incredibly fun, he decided as he watched her interact with some of his other friends. She was appropriately congratulatory to Chouji, who blushed and glanced at his new wife as the Sand kunoichi kissed him on the cheek, but Naomi just smiled as she also received a kiss on the cheek from the blonde woman. Naruto bounded over, as did Kiba, and Temari matched their bravado well, swapping stories of techniques. Hinata slid into the chair next to Shikamaru. "She came," the young woman said.

"Yeah," he replied, and was surprised to find himself smiling as he watched Temari gesturing wildly while telling a story of one of her exploits.

"You really like her, don't you?"

"Yeah," he repeated, a bit more seriously.

"Do you love her?"

He turned his head and met Hinata's milky gaze. "I don't know what that means, Hinata," he said.

She looked over at Naruto and a smile spread across her face. "You will."

Shikamaru shrugged as he watched Neji come over to say hello, a scowling Tenten at his side. Tenten had never liked Temari. She admired her skill, sure, but had never liked her. Oh well, Shikamaru thought. He scanned the room and noticed Sakura standing near Ino, where the blonde was ranting about something. Lee was standing next to Sakura, looking miserable. He met Shikamaru's eyes and suddenly looked even more disheartened. Shikamaru shuddered inwardly. Sakura scared the crap out of him almost as bad as Temari did, and he knew that he was in for some serious trouble. Not today, not tomorrow, but someday for sure.

Temari dragged him onto the dance floor a few more times, then preyed upon Kiba, Naruto, and even Chouji for a while. Shikamaru took Hinata out for a spin, which was actually sort of fun, and spent the rest of his time simply watching the festivities. Once he made his decision to ignore Ino, life had become easier. Of course, he still had to shove her out of his brain every couple of minutes, which was troublesome, but it was worth the effort.

Finally Chouji and Naomi departed, leaving the party with much fanfare, and not long after people began to disperse. "Let's go back to your place," Temari said with a carnivorous smile, and he found himself rushing back to his apartment.


	21. Chapter 21 And so it goes

A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! I'm happy you're all liking Temari and thinking she's fun, even if you prefer Shikamaru/Ino! Heh heh. And, so far no one has upset me with their reviews, so please don't worry. Enjoy and have a good weekend!

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"You came at a bad time," Shikamaru said, throwing his pack on the floor near the table. "I couldn't get word to you." 

"The message preceded you," Temari muttered, back to him as she put plates into their cupboards. "Jeez, don't you ever clean this place?"

"Bah. Too troublesome." Sighing, he pulled out a chair and plopped his rear in it.

She turned to smile at him. "Am I too troublesome?" she asked coyly.

"You are far too troublesome," he replied, but he wasn't smiling.

Temari frowned. "Hey, I'm sorry. He'll be fine."

"He almost died," Shikamaru said sharply. "I can't afford to make mistakes like that. Thank god Sakura was there."

Temari sighed and leaned against the counter. "She's a good medic. I could still kick her three ways to Sunday, but she's a good medic."

Shikamaru massaged his temples. "Luckily for me I'm a coward and ran away before Naomi showed up. I just couldn't bear to see it."

"Hey," she said softly, coming over to him and pulling him into an embrace. "Naomi understands how you two are. You'd give your lives for one another."

Shikamaru took a deep breath, trying to keep the hysteria and tears away. "This is the second time," he mumbled against her body.

"I remember the first."

Shikamaru only nodded, burying himself in her warmth. The past year of meeting with Temari had actually meant a lot to him. Even though they were not in love, they were definitely best friends, only with benefits. She was still gruff, but she had stopped trying to constantly mess with his head. There were still large gaps in their understanding of one another, but that was fine. They didn't like to do any of the same things; she hated watching the clouds and playing games, and he hated socializing. Still, it was just nice to have someone who he knew cared about him. For some reason that had become more important, even as logic had screamed that the smartest thing for a ninja to do would be to remain unattached.

He clung to her for a while, then finally leaned back again with a groan. Blearily focusing on the ceiling, he realized the bare bulb that lighted the kitchen was coated yellow from kitchen particulates. Maybe Temari was right; he really should start cleaning his apartment more often.

"Alrighty, let's get you cleaned up and put to bed. Sounds like you had a hell of a mission."

"Yeah," he grunted. She wrapped her hands around his wrists and gave him a tug. With a disheartened sigh, Shikamaru let Temari pull him to his feet and lead him to the bathroom.

The next day she agreed to follow him to the hospital, although she would have to return to her village from there. Her offer surprised him, since she usually did her best to force him to stay in bed with her all day. They walked down the street toward the hospital in companionable silence, hands tucked safely in pockets. Numerous times she had told him that she liked the fact he didn't want more from her. He knew that she had slept with plenty of other men during their time together, but they had always wanted something more from her, such as commitment. Shikamaru didn't want Temari that way. She was fun, and intelligent, and beautiful, but she was too freaking crazy for his tastes. Not that she was unstable, but she was a thrill-seeker. As the scent of the road dust they were kicking up reached his nostrils, he wondered for the millionth time why he didn't care if she slept with other people. He cared about Temari, but he didn't care what she did. She kept herself disease- and baby-free, and so they continued to have their fun.

His musings on their relationship were interesting, and they managed to keep him occupied until they reached the hospital. Shikamaru resolutely ignored the stark white façade of the building, hating the memories of all the other times he had visited the hospital. They walked inside to the reception desk, where Temari graciously asked for Chouji's room number. The nurse told them and the Sand woman led him through the halls by the wrist. It didn't take them long to arrive at Chouji's door.

Shikamaru took a deep breath and slowly opened the door, peering into the darkness inside. A light was on above the bed, revealing the silhouettes of doctors. Naomi was there, of course, her belly distended with child. Temari stood by the door as he walked forward, catching Naomi's eye.

"Hey," he said softly, leaning down and giving her a quick hug. Her eyes were red, and he had to swallow hard to keep his own eyes from burning with unshed tears of worry. "I'm sorry, Naomi."

"It's fine. It's his job. I know you did your best." she muttered with a halfhearted smile, her green gaze glistening with moisture.

"He'll survive," one of the doctors said, running fingers over Chouji's pulse. "Your medic stabilized him well enough at the scene that he'll be as good as new. It'll just take him a while to wake up."

Naomi nodded, her dark hair falling around her like a curtain. Shikamaru put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Don't worry, he'll wake up before the baby comes," he murmured.

"I know," she repeated, covering his hand in hers.

He raised his head and met Temari's eyes, her face half-covered by shadows. She nodded once, face grim. Glancing back down at Naomi, he pressed his cheek to the crown of her head. "I'll be back," he whispered. A pat on the hand was all the acknowledgement he received. Sighing, he returned to Temari's side and left the room.

As they were walking out, Ino was walking in. She was by herself, as she had been since shortly after Chouji's wedding. Shikamaru had heard from Chouji and Hinata, as well as Sakura, that Ino had stopped dating. She had taken on increasingly dangerous missions, and she was gaining a reputation as one of Konoha's most capable kunoichis. He was surprised by the cold pain that ripped through his abdomen when he saw her, and he couldn't help but stiffen slightly. Temari shot him a glance.

"Hi, Ino," he said, but his greeting only earned him a cold glare. Her nostrils flared and she walked past him as quickly as she could, but something inher sky-blue eyes was wounded. He turned his head and watched her stride to Chouji's room, feeling oddly beaten up as he observed the sway of her hips and the play of muscles in her legs. He realized that Temari had stopped just ahead, waiting for him, so he caught up to her and they went outside.

"You haven't taken anyone out to dinner since we, uh, started, did you?" she asked him once they were in the sunlight.

"No," he replied.

She examined him for a minute, eyes narrowed, then nodded. "I believe you. Damn. So am I going to see you next week?"

He shrugged. "Not unless you're psychic. I'll be on a mission, most likely."

"I have been known to have mysterious powers," she said with a smile.

He couldn't help but smile back. "You must. You got this lazy-ass into bed, didn't you?"

She nodded as her smile was replaced by a melancholy look. "Listen, you don't have to do this anymore if you don't want to. It's not like I have a lack of shinobi to fraternize with. They might not be intelligent shinobi, but some guys don't need to be smart for what I want them for."

"No, I want to. I like you."

Temari scowled.

"No," he groaned. "Not in the I-love-you-and-I-want-to-marry-you way. As a friend. I think you're interesting."

"You're interesting, too," she replied. "It's been fun for me. I'll see you when I see you, then."

A crooked smile seized the corner of his mouth. "Ever considerate, I see."

Again her grin was replaced by a bit of melancholy. "That's me," she whispered, and kissed him on the mouth before disappearing.


	22. Chapter 22 More troublesome than a missi...

A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short. Also, I'm sorry to disappoint those of you who wanted to know how Chouji got hurt. I'm not going to write about it, since it doesn't further my purpose- use your imagination. They're ninjas, after all, and Chouji's a pretty big target for a weapon. I don't have any plans to go over Ino's point of view, either. This is strictly from Shikamaru's point of view. I might do a companion fic that details Ino's thoughts and feelings, but I really doubt I'll ever get to it. I also want to let everyone know that I really like the Shikamaru/Temari pairing. The thing that gets me is that Temari's too driven for Shikamaru- she deserves great things, and their goals in life are completely different. I don't see either of them willing to change their objectives for anything, so I don't see how it can last. But, you'll see I gave it my best shot. Sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to.

Hope you enjoy this chapter. All my chapters are too short, for my tastes...

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"Hey!" Naruto cried, waving Shikamaru into the canteen. "Sit over here!" 

Shikamaru looked over the group of jounin and sighed. None of the girls were there, which was just fine with him. Naruto was telling a story to Lee while Neji and Shino sat and played a game of shougi. He watched as Naruto waved at him again, then realized he'd never hear the end of it if he didn't join them at least once. "Hey," he said, walking over to the table.

"Hello," Lee replied, but Shino and Neji merely grunted, intent upon their game. Shino was winning, but not by much. Shikamaru winced as Neji made a mistake.

"I heard Chouji is finally in stable condition," Neji muttered. "I'm happy for his wife."

"Yeah," Shikamaru breathed. There was an unspoken emotion in Neji's words, and he wondered for a moment if it had anything to do with the Hyuuga's secret marriage. All the people who had been genin for their first chuunin exam knew that Neji and Tenten had secretly married after the Hyuuga clan had denied them the right. Neji was just biding his time until Hinata took over the family and granted him his wishes. Shikamaru didn't doubt that little Nejis and Tentens would soon follow. He also didn't doubt that Hinata would finally get Naruto to marry her after she took over the family, or vice-versa. They had been serious for years.

"Damn," Neji growled as Shino defeated him.

"My turn," Shikamaru said, taking Hyuuga's place. He watched as Shino placed the pieces. The sounds of Naruto's conversation with Lee faded into the background as his mental processes took over, taking careful note of Shino's moves and planning his own far in advance. Shino was very good, a better player than anyone else he'd come across, but he was still better.

"How's Temari?" Shino asked softly.

Shikamaru raised his eyes, seeing his face reflected in Shino's sunglasses. "Good," he replied.

Shino nodded. "She's a good woman. You're the only one she's ever bothered to stay with. The rest of us were let go rapidly."

Shikamaru's eyes involuntarily opened wide as he realized what Shino was saying. "Er, Temari hates bugs," he said, his morbid curiosity getting the better of him.

"They stay out of the way when I want them to," Shino muttered.

Shikamaru nodded, feeling slightly disgusted, and examined the board, slowly moving his piece. He was surprised he didn't feel the slow burn of jealousy inside him like he had whenever Ino was sporting a new boy on her arm. Whatever it was or wasn't, he wasn't interested in analyzing it. It was too much trouble to think about. Besides, Temari let him know that she wasn't letting him out of her sight anytime soon.

He ended up beating Shino just as Kiba, Tenten, Sakura, and Hinata arrived. "Naomi wants you to visit when you're done with the next mission," Sakura said, narrowly avoiding Lee's enthusiastic embrace. "Not at work!" she hissed to the black-haired man, grabbing his short braid. Although Sakura hadn't been able to work wonders on Lee, she had at least convinced him to grow his hair out. In every other aspect, however, he was still the spitting image of Gai. Shikamaru had once been on a tough mission with Gai. It had been hell. He wasn't sure how Tenten and Neji had survived. Gai was an incredible ninja, though, Shikamaru had to admit that. He had no worries he would come out of the mission alive when Gai was there.

"Yeah, I'll head over as soon as I can," Shikamaru answered the pink-haired kunoichi, who had finally given in and pecked Lee on the cheek. Lee immediately melted and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"It's seven," Naruto said, sliding off the table he was perched on. "Time to report."

They all nodded and followed him down the hall. Naruto had become their unspoken leader, mostly because he had saved all of their lives at least once. Time had weighed heavily on him, however. Although he was still as loud as ever, Shikamaru noticed that the sparkle in his eyes was tinged with sadness. He didn't understand how Uzumaki could truly love each and every single person in the village, especially after how he had been treated as a child, but he did. Shikamaru never doubted that Naruto would die to protect him, if necessary, and that knowledge brought out a certain ferocity from within him. He knew that he would probably die to protect Naruto as well, no matter how troublesome it might be. Tsunade knew it, too. She was trying to train Naruto to use his head more often, and once she was finished with him, there wasn't much doubt that Naruto would make a fine Hokage.

Entering the assignment room, the group headed over to the missions desk, each taking their scrolls and forming into their teams. Shikamaru was the last in line, and when he arrived at the desk and gave his name, the shinobi just waved his hand. "No assignment for you."

Shikamaru scowled. It wasn't like he relished going on missions, but it was strange he wasn't given anything. He had noticed the missions he had been on since Chouji's injury were terribly easy and awfully brief, but this was the last straw. "Okay," he breathed. "What's up?"

The administrative ninja shrugged. "I have no idea. It just says here it's by Tsunade-sama's orders."

"Is she available?"

The ninja checked his papers. "Not until tomorrow."

Shikamaru rubbed his face. "Okay," he grunted, and stalked away. He could feel his friends watching him, but he didn't feel like responding. They left him alone as he stalked out of the building.

"Never thought that not getting an assignment would actually be more troublesome than working," he grumbled to himself. Tsunade was a good Hokage, but she was secretly a softie. She had been overseeing Chouji's recovery, and the reason she hadn't given him a mission was because she probably wanted him to stick around his friend. Before he knew it, his feet had carried him to the hospital. Might as well use his day off for something good, he supposed, and went inside.

When he arrived at Chouji's room, Naomi was sleeping on a cot, her body cushioned by extra pillows. Despite the attempt to make it more comfortable, he doubted it did any good to ease the pregnant woman. He almost pitied her, but then he remembered that she was a ninja's wife. She knew what could happen to her husband. She had accepted it the moment she married him.

Moving silently so as not to wake them, he sat in the empty chair next to his friend's bed and gripped Chouji's massive hand. The palm dwarfed Shikamaru's. It baffled him that someone he had known when they were so small had grown so large, and that his childhood friend was about to have a child of his own. "You had better wake up," he whispered.

"He will," a soft voice replied, and he looked up to see Naomi's luminous green eyes studying from where she lay in her cot.

Shikamaru smiled slightly. "Hope I didn't disrupt your nap," he said.

"You didn't. The baby's kicking."

"He'll be fine."

Her red lips stretched in a soft smile. "Convince yourself, not me," she murmured.

He raised an eyebrow, berating himself for always underestimating her. Naomi was not an intellectual, but her insight never failed to astound him. Once again he was reminded that she was perfect for his friend.

They sat without conversation, listening to the monitors make soft noises and watching Chouji's mammoth chest move up and down as he breathed. The hours leaked by, but neither of them seemed to care. Shikamaru was too wrapped up in all his memories, which fled his brain as he was startled by the sound of the door latch lifting. Naomi's eyes flickered to the door, but she didn't move to get up. The door swung open and in stepped a young woman, hair bound neatly on top of her head. She wore a cotton camisole and loose cropped pants. Her ears were adorned with the same silver hoops he and Chouji wore. He could still remember the day their parents took them to get their ears pierced together, cementing Ino-Shika-Cho.

"Hello, Ino," Naomi said softly.

Ino's sky-blue eyes flashed when she noticed Shikamaru. "What are you doing here?' she said sharply.

"I wasn't assigned a mission today, so I'm here at the side of my best friend," he replied softly. He meant the remark to be acerbic, but he just didn't have it in him.

"Well, I'm here now, so you can just go."

He supposed he should be happy she was even talking to him. They hadn't spoken in over a year. "I don't intend to leave."

"Then I'll make you," she snapped.

Naomi finally sat up, rubbing her temples. "Please, stop. There's no reason for you two to be arguing."

"I'm not arguing," Shikamaru said. "She's the one getting all bent out of shape."

"And he's the jerk," Ino added.

"What did I do?" he asked. "What are you punishing me for?"

Ino simply turned her head to the side and snorted, instead walking over to Chouji's bedside table and replacing the wilted flowers with the fresh bouquet in her hands. "You're such an ass," she repeated, her shapely brow furrowed with a scowl. "I'm sorry, Naomi. I'll stop by again later."

"Stop this," Naomi snapped, and Ino and Shikamaru both jumped, startled. "Chouji wouldn't appreciate this, and neither do I. You two are both intelligent people and always think things through, except when it comes to one another. I've known you for several years now, and the only people I see you making assumptions about is one another, and they're always incorrect."

"I assume nothing about him," Ino growled. "I know he's a jerk."

"That's what I mean," Naomi said, her voice taking on a pleading tone. "You just assume you know why he's done what he's done, just like he assumes he knows everything about you. I guess that's the danger of being friends your whole lives. You just assume you know one another."

Shikamaru frowned. He hated to say it, but Naomi's words were making a lot of sense. "And?" he asked. "We obviously haven't cared enough to do anything about it."

Naomi shook her head. "No, Chouji thought it was the opposite problem. He thought you both cared too much."

Shikamaru raised his eyes and met Ino's, the first time he had done so in over a year. They were just as clear and blue as he remembered, sharp and soft at the same time. Her face was contorted with swirling emotions, her full lips parted slightly, her whole body tense and poised. "What are we supposed to do about that? Stop being friends?" he snorted. "Bit late for that."

"I think you two should have a nice talk. It's long overdue."

Shikamaru felt his heart begin to beat faster as he stood. He wanted to go with Ino, to talk to her, to look at her. The sight of her, even though she was angry and hateful at the moment, was like cool water in the desert. Speaking of desert, he thought, he had better not buy Ino food. Temari would have his head. "Too much trouble," he muttered, speaking his thoughts aloud, and his chest constricted as he saw pain flash through Ino's eyes.

"If that's the way you feel," she choked, and dashed out of the room.

Shikamaru groaned and smoothed his hair with his left hand, closing his eyes. "What are you waiting for?" Naomi asked.

"She hates me."

"That's why she's on the verge of tears?"

Shikamaru silently cursed her insight. Were all pregnant women pushy like this? "Fine," he grumbled, and followed Ino out the door.


	23. Chapter 23 The hillside, once more

A/N: Glad some of you understood my motivations in not putting in every single little detail that happened into the fic. I appreciate that. Enjoy, and reviews are always welcome.

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"Ino!" he shouted, trotting to catch up with her. 

"Go away," she croaked, walking faster.

He was shoulder-to-shoulder with her, examining her face. Her eyes were filled with moisture, but none of it was spilling down her cheeks. He sometimes suspected she was too strong for her own good. "Come on," he said, trying to sound sensitive. "Please."

"Why? Why should I?"

He took a deep breath. "Because Chouji wants us to. Because it might be his last request."

"Don't talk like that," she cried, stopping. "He'll be fine, and besides, it's what he wants, not you."

He frowned. Since when did it matter what he wanted? "I want it, too, Ino. I hate fighting."

"Making up will be too troublesome," she spat.

He sighed, rubbing his chin. "Yeah, but I've found that fighting with you is much more troublesome."

The corner of her mouth twitched. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. Let's go for a walk."

They strolled around the village for a while in silence, not even looking at one another, before he finally led them to his cloud-watching spot. He flopped down in the grass, staring up at the sky. He had brought Temari here once, but she had been bored out of her mind and had complained the entire time. The memory was a sharp contrast to one of his most precious recollections, the time when Ino fell asleep next to him under the stars when they were only thirteen.

"Why are you mad at me?" he finally asked her, voice soft as he watched the clouds meander past.

"I'm not," she said icily.

"Are you jealous?"

"Of course not!"

He sighed. He knew he wasn't going to get any answers from Ino. Her mind was a mystery to him, and she never told him what she was feeling. Not about him, anyway. "I still talked to you when you were dating all those guys," he reminded her.

"I know. But I wasn't serious with them."

"And you're upset because I'm with Temari?"

Her face appeared in his view. "She's not right for you," she said sharply.

He studied her, examining where he knew her wrinkles would show up when she was older, if she lived long enough to be old. A ninja's life was full of death. "How would you know?"

"She's bossy and loud and she goes out with other guys."

"Huh, sounds like another woman I know."

Her jaw clenched and he winced, waiting for a blow to fall. "I thought it was just a fling, like the flings I had. I never planned on staying with any of those guys."

"It is just a fling, Ino. It's just a fling that's lasted longer than most."

She shook her head. "No, it's not. I think she's in love with you."

Her words made him sight upright, his spine unusually straight. "What?" he asked. "How could you possibly know?"

"I've seen you around town when she comes to visit. I've seen her with other men when our paths cross on missions. She has a special look she reserves just for you. I'm a woman, I can tell."

"The whole point of our relationship is that she isn't in love with me," Shikamaru protested.

"Well, something happened," Ino replied quietly, her lashes obscuring her eyes as she looked down into her lap. She was silent for a while, tapping her fingers against her ankle, then took a deep breath. "Hey," she began.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that guys and girls can never just be friends?"

He looked at her, studying her delicate profile, her long neck, her strong, yet feminine, shoulders. Her body was lean, where Temari's was thick, and despite her appearance, Shikamaru knew Ino was strong. He also knew she was talented- she was one of Konoha's top kunoichi, aside from the special jounin. She was just as beautiful as she always had been. "I don't know," he replied.

"You're supposed to be a genius," she said with a half-smile.

He took a deep breath. "Do you want to try and be friends again?" he asked, heart pounding in his chest.

"Do you?" she countered, raising her eyes to meet his. He thought his heart would explode. What was it about her that made him react in such a way?

"Yeah," he murmured, taking her hand without realizing it until she blushed. He was surprised by his own boldness, but supposed that Temari must have instilled some confidence in him. Still, why was Ino blushing?

"Okay, we'll try," she whispered, leaning in closer as her hand squeezed his. He unconsciously mimicked her movements, leaning in towards her until he could feel her breath on his skin, completely entranced by her. The heat rose in his cheeks and his heart hammered inside his ribs. Temari never made him feel this way….

His attention was immediately diverted by the angry growling of his stomach. Ino's eyes, which had been half-open and well on their way to closing just a moment before, flew open and she laughed. "Seems like I'm channeling Chouji," he said with a slight smile, and she grinned in response.

Standing, Ino pulled him up by the hand she was holding. "Friends?" she asked.

"Friends," he replied, squeezing her hand.

"Then let's go get Chouji some food. I'll buy. Maybe the smell of barbeque will wake him up. Hospital food sure isn't going to do the trick."

Shikamaru nodded. After all, Temari hadn't told him that a girl couldn't buy _him _food. "Let's go," he said, and walked her back to the village.


	24. Chapter 24 Getting a pass

A/N: I'm glad you guys didn't rise up and revolt at the last chapter, telling me you hated it. I know there are a lot more Shikamaru/Temari fans than Shikamaru/Ino fans reading this fic. Personally, I think Ino gets a bad rap- most fanfiction authors portray her very differently in their stories than she appears in the manga and anime. They make her a harpy, and a one-dimensional harpy at that, when she's actually only like that a small fraction of the time. Ino flies of the handle far less often than Inner Sakura, for example.

Anyway, I hope it's not getting too sappy for you, either. I know my chapters are short, but this story presents itself in a very snapshot-like manner in my head, and so I just write about the snapshots that occur to me. Besides, once it's all posted, you all can look it over again in one long orgy of chapter-reading, and you'll barely notice the length of the chapters. Enjoy, leave a review if you feel like it (I like reading them), and have a great weekend!

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The rain pattered on the window, competing with the sounds of medical machines as Shikamaru sat by Chouji's bedside. His friend had only been awake for a day, but that was good enough for Shikamaru. Chouji was still extremely weak, but he would pull through just fine. 

"Naomi stepped out," he explained to the waking man. Chouji was blinking slowly in the fluorescent light of the room, gingerly rotating his head to look at Shikamaru.

"How's the baby?" Chouji asked, squinting.

"Fine, everyone's fine."

"And you? Naomi said last night that you and Ino started fighting. Did you tell her how you feel?"

Shikamaru scowled. "I don't know how I feel about Ino, and you know it. Besides, I'm with Temari."

Chouji grunted as he shifted in the bed, taking deep, slow breaths as beads of sweat appeared on his brow. His cheeks were soft and full, lending him a boyish look, but his body underneath the sheets, while still large, was square and obviously packed with muscle. He barely fit in the narrow hospital bed. "You're the dumbest smart guy I know, no offense," he grated, pushing himself up a bit to sit slightly upright.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you've got two girls in love with you, and you've gotten yourself into a huge mess."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "And what does that mean?" he growled.

Chouji sighed, glancing toward the door. "Nobody's coming, right?"

"Right."

"Well, Temari might not know it, but she's completely in love with you. She's fun and good-looking, but she's a handful. Now, Ino doesn't know it, either, but she's been madly in love with you for years. She's good-looking, too, but in a different way. She's also fun, and she's also a handful. She's not the warrior Temari is, but she's also more gentle, in her way."

"Ino, gentle?" Shikamaru snorted.

Chouji panted for a while, squeezing his eyes shut and taking more deep breaths. "Yeah," he mumbled. "You've seen her with flowers, and children, and animals, not to mention the rest of her friends. You're the only one she gets upset with, besides me and Sakura. She only acts like that with people she loves."

"You should rest," Shikamaru said, leaning over and tucking in a corner of Chouji's blanket. "You're using up too much energy talking."

"I don't care. I'd rather pass out and be in here longer than watch you walk around with your head up your ass."

Shikamaru stared at his friend, his mouth slightly open. He couldn't move a muscle, just as surely as if someone had trapped him in his own Shadow Bind. Chouji was normally a peaceful, patient guy; for him to speak so bluntly meant that he really believed what he was saying, and that very fact made Shikamaru carefully weigh his words. "What should I do?"

Chouji sighed again. "Figure out who you want. I really like Temari, and if you want her, go for it. But if it's Ino you want, be fair to all of you and just go get her."

Chouji's words crawled over Shikamaru's skin and burrowed deep inside his blood vessels, shooting straight into his heart. His muscles trembled ever so slightly, and he suffered from a lack of oxygen at the thought of talking to either of the women. The two friends sat in silence until Naomi appeared a half-hour later, Ino in tow. The blonde looked at Shikamaru, an unknown emotion flickering through her eyes, and he stared in wonder at her flawless skin, her red lips. Her cheeks flushed slightly as he watched, and although he realized he was being rude for looking at her for so long, he couldn't help himself. His body was electrified, burning and aching as if he had been set on fire.

"Be a man," Chouji whispered, winking at his friend.

Shikamaru got up, embracing Naomi quickly before pausing in front of Ino. "Where are you going?" she asked softly, looking up into his face.

"There's something I have to do," he replied, and pushed past her into the hallway.

He raced through the rain towards the Hokage's office, ignorant of the moisture saturating his hair and clothes. His heart pounded in his chest, fueling his reeling mind as he dashed towards the gigantic building. He was oblivious of the minutes that passed as he traveled, entering the complex and making his way directly to Tsunade's office. The way to make the situation cause the least trouble possible was to get it over quickly. Luckily most of the ninja recognized him and let him pass, probably assuming that he had been summoned, as Tsunade liked to do upon occasion. He made it all the way to the door of her office before he was stopped.

"Do you have an appointment?" Shizune asked, stepping in front of him.

Shikamaru glanced past her at the male assistant behind the desk. "Ask the secretary," he told the dark-haired woman, hoping to buy some time.

"Well?" Shizune snapped at the secretary.

He quickly shuffled through the papers scattered on the desk, finally producing a book. Flipping through it, he pinned down a page with a finger and closely scanned it. Shikamaru shot him a look of ice, but the man glanced at Shizune and shuddered. "No, he doesn't," the man said, swallowing.

Shikamaru cursed inwardly as Shizune narrowed her eyes. "Tsunade-sama can't be interrupted. Give me your message and I'll get it to her."

"No, I need to talk to her now."

"Why?"

"I need a pass."

"What? Why?"

"I'm taking a trip."

"No!" Shizune cried. "You can't leave at a time like this."

"Time like what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Shizune faltered, eyes wavering. "I can't say."

Shikamaru smiled slowly. "If you let me pass, I'll keep my mouth shut about your little slip, not to mention that I saw you walking in the park with Gai," he drawled, so softly only she could hear.

Her face turned the color of a tomato. "You wouldn't," she hissed. "Nobody would believe you."

"Try me," he said nonchalantly, placing his hand on the door. Shizune merely stood there, fists clenched, as he pushed the door inward. "I didn't think so," he sighed, and shut the door behind him.

Once he had decided he was safe from an onslaught from Shizune, he slowly turned and surveyed the room, a bit surprised that no one was in the office. Papers and scrolls were everywhere, as well as the remains of a recent meal. The room was completely still, even the air remaining uncirculated. He crept over to the lavatory, but the door was open and the room was empty. A loud snore startled him and he jumped off the floor several inches, teeth bared as goosebumps riddled his flesh. He had a kunai out even before he turned around, ready to face whatever threat awaited him, then swatted his forehead with an open palm as he spied a heap on the floor. The pile of fabric was the illustrious Hokage, snoring away on the floor, her head supported by a stack of papers.

"Hey," he said, and was rewarded with a snort and a bleary look.

"Ah!" Tsunade shouted, causing him to jump back once more in fear and look wildly about him.

"What?" he cried, weapon at the ready.

Tsunade stood behind the desk, calmly brushing herself off as if nothing had happened. "Oh, hello," she said. "Why are you in here?"

"Why were you sleeping?" he moaned, stowing his weapons.

"I was tired," she replied, taking a seat. "I see you got past Shizune. No small feat."

"I have my ways," he mumbled, sitting down in the chair Tsunade indicated.

She sighed, stacking a few scrolls. "Well, as long as you're here I might as well hear you out. You have been useful to me lately, after all."

Shikamaru took a deep breath. "I want a passage certificate to Hidden Sand."

Tsunade's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he growled.

"No."

It was Shikamaru's turn to make wide eyes. "Why? Temari gets them all the time from Kazekage."

"That's because she has an in."

Shikamaru wondered if there was an implied insult there, then just let it go. It would be too troublesome to defend Temari's honor, especially if he wasn't even sure it was being tarnished. "So?"

"No, end of discussion," Tsunade said, clapping a book shut. She looked at him for a few moments, and he shuddered as a sly smile uncurled across her face. "Or maybe not."

His chest tightened, bracing for the impact of whatever troublesome thing she was going to say next. "What do I have to do?" he asked.

"Join ANBU," she said. "We need a brain like yours. Neji and Shino are doing wonderfully, but we could always use another talented captain."

The blood in his veins turned to ice. "No," he said with more force than he'd intended.

"Then you don't get your pass."

Shikamaru clenched his jaw, his fingers twitching with the effort no to curl into fists. "I need that pass."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms behind her head. "I would have thought this would have become too troublesome for you by now," she murmured. "Why get so worked up about this now?"

"Life itself is troublesome," he drawled, regaining some of his composure. "If I want to make part of it a little less troublesome I'm going to have to make an effort."

They squared off in silence for a while, then Tsunade sighed, placing her forearms on her desk. "Sorry, Shikamaru, but those are the terms. I wish I had more time to talk, but I really should get back to work."

His body went rigid with anxiety. He had to get to the Sand village and talk to Temari. He just had to. "How about a wager, then?"

Tsunade winced. "What?"

"A wager. Your bet against mine. You set the terms."

He watched as her hands clasped one another, trembling slightly, saying nothing. A clock on the wall counted out the seconds as time stretched around them, every breath seeming to take an eternity. For a moment he feared that she wouldn't take the bait. Suddenly she slammed her open hand down on the surface of the desk. "You're on. Here are the terms, you choose the game. If I win, you join ANBU and draw up a battle plan based on this data." She pushed a scroll forward. "If you win, you get a pass to Hidden Sand and you can draw up the battle plan when you get back."

"Battle plan?" Picking up the scroll, he opened it, immediately confronted with statistics and coordinates. His eyes widened. The scope of the battle would be incredible; Tsunade was sending well over half their warriors into the fray, by the looks of it. Even those numbers wouldn't be enough to overwhelm the Sound ninjas. It seemed Orochimaru had been inflating his ranks a bit. Rolling up the scroll, he placed it back on the desk. "I agree to your terms."

"What's the game?"

Shikamaru pulled out a coin and Tsunade's face fell. "Call it."

"Don't you at least have dice or something?"

"Nope. Call it."

"Tails," she said, fingers gripping the edge of the desk. Dents were left in the wood.

Shikamaru flipped the coin in the air, looking her straight in the eye as he caught the coin and slapped it down on the desk. His heart was going a mile a minute. He had never trusted to luck before; his entire life had been lead by following his brain. He didn't even know if he had good luck or bad. By the amount of trouble he'd experienced during his relatively short life, he had a hunch his luck was bad. His fingers trembled slightly where they covered the coin, and with great anxiety he raised his hand. "Heads," he breathed, and Tsunade hissed between her teeth. With a single motion she tore open a drawer and attacked its contents, mauling the scroll as she signed it and brutally sealed it.

"Here," she growled, eyes flashing as she handed over the pass. "You had better come see me when you get back."

He tried to take the scroll, but nothing happened when he pulled. He nearly had to pry her fingers off to get the pass out of her grip. "Okay," he said, tucking the scroll in a vest pocket. The road beckoned, so he walked to the door, pausing and turning to face her when he got there. "Thanks, Hokage-sama," he said.

Her scowl eased a bit and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "No need to be cute," she said gruffly. "Just get out of here."

"Sure thing," he replied, and was on the road in no time.


	25. Chapter 25 Temari's house

A/N: It's been very interesting reading reviews! I hope that I'm not disappointing people with the direction this story's going. I don't think things will happen like a lot of people expect them to. Also, I got a comment about my paragraph length, and I'm too lazy to write an email, so I'll just apologize here. Sorry if my paragraphs seem too long for screen consumption. I use fanfiction as a practice ground for my original stuff, and my goal someday is to feel confident enough in my writing that I try to get something published. Short paragraphs usually don't look as good in print as they do on the screen, and so if reading the long paragraphs is tough on the eyes, print it out. The chapters are actually short enough that it works out pretty well. I'm still going to keep writing as if it was printed. Sorry!

I'm also going to spoil something for those of you who haven't read Ch. 235 of the manga yet. Yeah, things worked out! I can still use Neji and Chouji in this fic!! I'm very, very happy.

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The house was completely silent. Its size had taken him off-guard, but he reasoned that Temari was a special jounin and the daughter of a past Kazekage. There was no reason she shouldn't have a lovely house. Scratch that- the house wasn't silent. Muffled pounding sounds came from the far end of the house, and Shikamaru wondered if he had come at a bad time. Most likely he had. He waited until the noises stopped, listening as the sigh of a door opening reached him. Soft footsteps padded across the stone tile floor, the kitchen doorway suddenly filled with an alluring silhouette. The slightly musky scent of her skin wafted into his nostrils, intensified by the heat of the evening. Sunset hadn't taken place too long ago, and so the desert air had not yet cooled sufficiently. He ignored the sweat meandering down the groove of his spine as he watched his target reach the sink, filling a glass with water as she stood in the nude. She placed the glass to her lips and began to drink, and he materialized from the shadows, one arm wrapping around her waist and the other bumping the glass aside to clamp a hand over her mouth. With a single motion he lifted her off the ground, feeling her heartbeat immediately racing, and backed toward the wall. 

"Did I come at a bad time?" he whispered just as her muscles tensed for defense. She relaxed against him, sighing through her nostrils, the warm air passing over the back of his hand. He released her and gently pushed her up against the ceramic tile of the wall, hands roving lightly over her bare skin.

"Sort of," she mumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you."

"How did you get past the defenses?"

"You're clever, Temari, but I am, too."

"I never forget," she chuckled, guiding his chin to her face and kissing him.

"Get rid of your guest," he murmured in her ear.

As if on cue, the door across the house sighed again. "Temari?" a deep voice asked.

Temari patted Shikamaru's rear and moved past him. "Something's come up. You should leave," she said, then moved out of his hearing range.

"Way to let him down easy," he grumbled, leaning against the counter and drinking from Temari's glass. He was dog-tired after his travel. Too much chakra had been consumed by his use of shadows as he journeyed.

"I don't care!" he heard Temari shout. "Get out now!" He winced at her volume, pitying whatever poor fool she had snagged. Still, he thought it was sort of odd that she was kicking out her latest conquest just to hang out with him. Maybe there was something to the theory his friends held.

There was some crashing, and he could have sworn he heard glass shatter, but he shrugged it off and sat down at the table. Temari's house was perfectly clean, and he immediately understood why she was always compulsively straightening up his place. Oh well, it saved him trouble. There was a final loud noise and Temari came back into the room, wearing a dark silk robe. "You want light?"

"No," he replied. "You know I like the darkness." He could see by the light of the moon just fine. His eyesight was excellent, especially in the dark, which had become his domain. There was also a chance that she would feel the darkness was cloaking her and would let more expression play over her features.

"So what brings you all the way from Fire country?" she asked, moving to sit down, but he pulled her into his lap instead.

"You visit me all the time. I thought it was my turn."

She laughed and pulled the tie out of his hair, letting its wiry length settle about his shoulders. "How's Chouji?"

"Awake. Better."

"Mmm," she replied, a dreamy smile on her face as she combed his hair with her fingers and retied his ponytail. "You're a bit sweaty. You want to bathe? I have to get stinko's smell off me, anyway."

"Sorry to interrupt."

She shrugged, sliding off of his lap. "No worries. He wasn't as fun as you are, anyway." Her fingers slid over his arm and down to his hand, where she gripped him firmly and tugged. "Come on."

His lungs filled with a deep breath, which he let out slowly through his nose in an effort to calm his thundering heart. There was no reason to wait. "Are you in love with me?" he asked softly.

The strangest expression flitted over her face. It started as confusion, then mutated to anger, then shock, and ended with a deep sort of pain, her eyes turning darker in the moonlight as the corners of her mouth tensed. Her gaze rested on his knees, and when she finally met his eyes, they were wounded. "No," she said, and something behind her eyes cracked. She was lying and he knew it, he knew it like he knew his own name.

He let her pull him to standing, looking down at her face. Her features were pale in the moonlight, and her handsome bone structure was beguiling. If he hadn't been so exhausted, and if she hadn't just finished with someone else, he would have taken her to bed right then and there. She truly was a wonderful woman. "But that's because you don't want to be attached. You don't want a husband, you don't want children."

Her eyes slowly hardened. "That's right. I'm a kunoichi of the Sand, and that's all that matters to me."

"More than me?"

Her expression wavered, then became firm once more. "More than anything."

He smiled, surprising her. "You're wonderful," he chuckled, shaking his head. "You're a young man's dream. You're smart, strong, beautiful, sexual, and there are no strings attached to having you, provided that you control the terms of the relationship."

Her eyebrow lifted. "But?"

"But I'm not just any young man. I'm the laziest, most worthless young man you'll ever meet."

A smile flitted across her lips. "I know that. It's why you're fun."

"I want a wife, however. I want children and a house and a boring life. I'm in love with that life."

Her arms slowly circled his waist and she leaned her head against his chest. The night was silent, save for the sound of the winds pushing the sands ahead of them outside. Her fingers gripped him tightly. "I won't keep you forever. It can't last, and I know it. We want different things. For being lazy, you sure are stubborn."

"If you only live in darkness, you'll never see the delicate beauty of shadow," he mumbled, buying his face in her hair. "I'm yours until you let me go, but then I won't look back. You'll always be dear to me, though."

"You'll always be dear to me," she replied, voice thick, and he knew it was true.

The next few days were full of frenzied lovemaking and possessive cuddling, and he wondered if she thought it would be their last time. His mind wandered to Tsunade's map, and he realized that it very well could be their last time. He wanted to love Temari, but the love he had for her wasn't romantic. The precise nature of his emotions were still confusing to him, but he knew he couldn't picture making a life with her. He was getting old enough that such a thing was really starting to matter to him. A ninja's life was short, after all.

As she led him to the door, he realized he was going to miss her clean, cool house. She was a surprisingly good cook, and their days had passed pleasantly. Conversations with her were interesting, even though the topics were almost exclusively about combat or intelligence gathering. He couldn't talk to her about the sky, though; that was something she just didn't understand. Still, it was difficult to leave, especially since he didn't know when he would see her again, or even if he really wanted to see her again as anything but a good friend. Something in the wind made him tingle, and he wondered if it was that the world was changing.

"So, I'll see you," he said.

She leveled a serious look at him. "You know what's coming, don't you?"

He cleared his throat, hands shoved in pockets. "Yeah. I'm a strategist."

"Then you know there's no way to tell when we can see each other again."

_Or if _, he thought, but he didn't want to speak the words lest they alter reality. "But if we can, we will, right?"

"Yes," she replied, and attacked him with an embrace.


	26. Chapter 26 War

A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than usual, thank goodness. I hope that you all like the way it goes. Hopefully it'll wrap up some ends for you. If it doesn't, the next few will. Well, sort of. For those of you that don't like to read long paragraphs on-screen, I highly advise you print this out, because it's a pretty action-oriented chapter and a lot of the paragraphs are pretty big. Sorry about that! Enjoy, and I'd love to know your reactions to this chapter, like what were your favorite parts, was the action believable, etc. Thanks!

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It was war, and it was a battle far more difficult than shougi, or go, or anything else he could imagine. He had spent weeks going over the battle plans, perfecting them and drawing up contingency plans, conferring with Tsunade, Jiraiya, Anko, and others as much as possible. Even though he was a ninja, he hated people to die, even when they weren't people he knew. War was horrific. Shikamaru didn't have it in him to hate, since hate was the most troublesome of all emotions, but he truly loathed Orochimaru for bringing such times upon them. He had done his best to make sure all the people he cared about would be in safe, yet effective, positions, but that was all he could do. 

It remained all he could do a week into the fighting. Ino was on a scouting squad, and he heard good things about her performance. Chouji was still at home, defending Konoha with his father. Two multi-size jutsu users would be able to protect the city quite well, and that included protecting Naomi and the new baby.

As for himself, he was teamed up with Lee, Tenten, and Hinata. Naruto was out there somewhere with Sakura, Kiba, and Neji. Tsunade and Jiraiya were hunting down Orochimaru, and Naruto was acting as leader. Of course, Naruto also had eighteen contingency plans, each of them written by Shikamaru, in his vest pockets. The only way they'd lose the war was if Naruto managed to somehow destroy the scrolls. If they all just lived through it, everything would be fine.

Unfortunately, Shikamaru wasn't doing a very good job of living through it. He knew from reports that his plans were working beautifully, mostly due to the fact that Shino, Ino, and their team was extracting an unusually large amount of valid information. Their bluff, charge, and pincer attack had all been executed perfectly. Sound was retreating, just as he had planned. The only hitch was that Orochimaru was sending out his best soldiers to cover his retreat, his favorite tactic. Even though Shikamaru had been successful against this ploy before, he knew it was a problem this time because he and his friends were being specifically targeted. He had learned that Kabuto was after Naruto, but that was just fine. Sakura could take the medic-nin out no problem, and Naruto could just blow everyone up, if need be. He was more worried about himself and his team.

"Behind us!" Hinata screamed, bringing up the rear.

"How far?" he bellowed in return, keeping his eyes on the next branch as they sailed through the leaves.

"Fifty meters," she replied.

Shikamaru cursed under his breath. The Sound nin was closing in on them, and with his luck it would be the same one that managed to slice another jounin squad to pieces. From the looks of the gruesome scene they had happened across earlier, the jounin hadn't even had time to put up a fight. Whoever the enemy was, he or she was bad news. "Tenten!" he shouted.

"Got it!" she cried, peeling away from the group and disappearing into the trees.

"Lee, Hinata, go on ahead. There should be a clearing about five hundred meters from here. Stop there and defend yourselves in any way necessary. If I don't show up in ten minutes, find Naruto's squad. Someone has to let him know what's happening to us, and you'll be safer in a pair. "

"Roger," Lee bellowed, and trailed Hinata as they sped away.

Shikamaru froze in the limbs of a tree, back pressed against the bark. He could feel blood seeping through the sole of his sandal and hoped it wouldn't become a clue to his whereabouts. He had a large gash on his calf that had narrowly missed vital tendons, and Hinata had not had time to heal it, especially when Tenten had nearly lost the use of her arm in an earlier skirmish. The kunoichi was fine now, but Shikamaru had not wanted to risk the drain on Hinata's chakra if she was to heal him as well. Besides, their enemy was close behind them, and there were plenty of shadows in the trees. It could be over quickly. He tried to tell himself that the battle would end with his team the victor.

The whistling of projectile weapons sounded behind him, and he hazarded a look in time to see kunai rain down upon their enemy. Tenten's speed was such that he couldn't tell where she was hiding, since the weapons seemed to come from everywhere at once. Tenten was also a master at traps, so it was entirely possible that she was nowhere near the battle. He barely caught a glimpse of the Sound nin as the person brought up its hands, the motion jerky as the wrists flicked. Shikamaru barely had time to get out of the way as the weapons suddenly recoiled from the enemy and sailed in all directions, several kunai embedding themselves deeply in the trunk next to his head. Pressing his lips together, he faded back behind the tree, sweat beading at his hairline and rolling down the side of his face. He knew he was smart, probably smart enough to overcome anything that was sent his way, save for two hinderances: he was dog-tired, and he had no idea what bizarre talents Orochimaru's minion would have. When the two variables were combined, he realized he had precious little chance of survival. His only way to stay alive and, more importantly, to keep his team alive, would be to figure out his opponent's tricks quickly.

He realized with a start that the Sound ninja had not moved since the hail of weapons, nor had Tenten attacked again. Hazarding another peek around the tree, he was surprised to see the enemy just standing there. The sound ninja was a woman with incredibly long, pale hair. It hung well below the branch she was standing on, and her face was garishly made up, like all of Orochimaru's minions. Her skin was mottled with dark markings, telling him that she had already opened her curse seal. Dammit, why did he always end up fighting women?

Slowly, he sent out his Shadow Bind, carefully weaving it along the shadows of leaves until it attached to her feet. Even if Tenten had fled, which he didn't think likely, hopefully the technique could buy him enough time to do something. Hinata and Lee were just up ahead, after all. He raised his hand in the air, smirking as the Sound kunoichi did the same, a shocked expression on her face. Shuriken whistled through the air from the cover of the treetops, all aimed for the enemy's vital points. Shikamaru's blood ran cold as the kunoichi smiled, and he tightened the Shadow Bind. Once more the weapons scattered, somehow deflected. He clenched his teeth. She hadn't moved; did she have some sort of chakra field?

His stomach lurched as Tenten burst from the trees, eyes full of steel as she silently descended upon the enemy from behind. Shikamaru was careful to keep his Bind securely in place, wiggling his fingers to make sure she was under control. Her fingers wiggled in tandem, reassuring him. As Tenten grew close, however, he was horrified to see ribbons of blood appear on her pale skin. She grunted and appeared to float in midair, her progress halted. It looked as if someone had cut her with razor line, thin trails bleeding all over her body. Shikamaru watched as she struggled, but she couldn't move. Her throat let loose a frustrated growl, and she stared angrily at the back of the Sound ninja's head. He noticed that she was losing more blood around her wrists and ankles, almost if she was bound. There were no bonds or wires to be seen, however, and he felt his lip curl in a snarl as the Sound nin's slight smile turned into a grin.

Tenten continued to struggle, and whatever held her was sharp, for her blood began to flow more freely. He felt his innards tighten with fear; if she kept it up, she'd either bleed to death or slice something vital off, like a hand or foot. Tenten was one of the most determined people he knew, aside from Lee and Naruto, and she had more pride than anyone but her husband. He knew Tenten would rather die than lose slowly. There was still no sign of what held her, until he noticed that the tips of the enemy's platinum blonde mane were twitching. His eyes widened in shock. Was she controlling her long hair using chakra? The concentration and stamina needed to do so would have to be incredible. He was starting to think that he shouldn't have sent Hinata ahead, for her Byakugan would have been of great help.

Tenten, however, was his primary concern. If he didn't free her soon she would be dead, and there was no time for regrets. Closing his eyes, he settled into his thinking stance, searching for a way to beat his opponent. Considering his depleted chakra supply, he couldn't see a way. Well, better him than Tenten. Maybe help could come soon enough to save her. Taking a deep breath, he faded into his own shadow and rose again right next to the Sound nin, a kunai at her throat. Something flicked against his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

"No!" Tenten cried, face dirty and smeared with red. "You should leave!"

"Too late," he grumbled into the Sound Kunoichi's ear. "I'm going to make this the last battle of the war, if I can."

"The hermit and gambler will never make it in time," the Sound nin chuckled. "Master Orochimaru will have the power of the Nine Tails before the Akatsuki."

"This is about Naruto?"

"Didn't you know? Your armies are caught between us and them."

He snorted, smirking even though he knew she couldn't see it. "Of course I knew. If everything is going according to plan, the Akatsuki after us will be dead by now."

"You can't kill Itachi."

"You're right, we can't, but Sasuke can."

"Uchiha Sasuke?"

"The same. What do you think happened to him after we finally rescued him from your master's clutches? He was a broken man, but he trained. He's pretty much useless as a normal shinobi, but he's a finely-honed blade for murdering his brother. It's all that's left of his mind."

"Your side might win that battle, but not this one," she sneered, and he felt the faint touch of something slide across his skin, slicing it open. Swearing, he blindly swung his kunai, hearing a twang as he cut through something. He was right, she was using her hair like trap wire. Breaking the Bind, he faded into the shadows and reappeared next to Tenten, quickly cutting her down and supporting her. To her credit, she had remained conscious, although her body was heavy and limp in his arms.

"Let me at her," she growled, pulling a scroll from a pouch at her hip.

"Yeah, right," he grunted, leaping through the branches to the ground. "Stay here."

"She's right behind you," Tenten whispered as she slumped against the tree trunk. She pressed something into his hand.

Shikamaru paled as he felt the smooth lacquered handle in his palm. She had slipped him a sealing blade. He gripped it tightly, standing and filling his lungs with air. "Little bird!" he shouted, praying that Hinata or Lee would hear. He didn't want to put them in danger, but they were his only chance to get Tenten to safety. Hinata could work on her while Lee led them to Naruto's team. Shikamaru felt pretty confident he could stall the Sound kunoichi for at least that long. He nodded once to Tenten, who sighed and closed her eyes, then he bounded back up into the trees. The enemy was still standing right where he left her, and as he moved he saw the light glint off of the strands of her hair. They were everywhere, creating a nearly impenetrable cocoon around her. Impenetrable to anything but shadow, he thought.

"Your fancy trick won't do any good against me. It's a good thing I'm a coward like you, or I'd be ashamed to fight you."

She raised her eyebrow at his comment, then her hair lifted and filled the air with deadly force. He barely avoided the large bulk sent at him, wincing as smaller sections peeled away from the mass and sliced across his skin. The attack was what he expected, however, and he was able to deflect most of the cuts with his flak jacket, which was immediately slashed to ribbons. Luckily he had used the back of it, meaning his scrolls were still intact, as if it would truly make a difference. Flinging himself toward the safety of the trees, he faded into the shadow, rematerializing to the rear left of the Sound ninja and sinking Tenten's blade deep into her side, his shadow engulfing her and pulling her back into the darkness with him simultaneously. His free hand formed the necessary seals, and the handle of the blade turned hot in his palm, burning his skin. The Sound nin screamed and began to struggle, her veins standing out against her pale skin as her essence began to flow into the blade. They sank into the shadow just as Tenten screamed, "Watch out!"

Shikamaru flinched as the sealing blade began to glow, exploding with incredible force. He grunted as the air was knocked out of him, plunging him into his own shadow and out through the shadow beneath the tree limb. His arm clipped the branch below, sending him spiraling into the trunk, which he ricocheted off of before landing hard on a large, sturdy limb. He groaned and coughed blood, able to feel the bones in his arm shattered. A couple of ribs were broken as well, and he knew there was no way he could defend himself and Tenten. Before him stood the Sound ninja, blonde hair completely white as she studied him with a golden eye. The whites of her eyes had turned black, and her skin was stained with the markings of a level-three curse seal. She smiled, showing new fangs, and he clenched his jaw, preparing for his final moments. There was nothing he could do. Genius didn't matter one bit when he had nothing to work with. He coughed again, blood dribbling down his chin, and he wondered if he had punctured a lung. Guilt crushed him further as he realized he had doomed Tenten as well; his only consolation was that Lee and Hinata both lived. At least he wouldn't be around to face Neji, who would have probably tried to kill him once he found out his wife was dead.

The Sound nin's face contorted and her hair exploded in all directions, ripping the bark and leaves from trees and leaving gashes where it passed. If her chakra was large enough to actually blow up a container like the knife through sheer force of quantity, there was no way he was going to live. She had plenty of reserves. His eyes locked with hers, determined to face his death, when there was a buzzing sound and a blur, the twanging of lines being cut echoing in the air. The green of a jounin jacket met his eyes, the Konoha spiral on the back, and blonde hair whipped in the wind. The Sound kunoichi hissed and retreated a pace.

Shikamaru looked up as the ninja glanced over her shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked, and he felt an irrational joy as he looked upon rosy skin and sky-blue eyes.

"Ino?" he breathed, drinking in the sight of her, wondering if he was already dead and the angels in heaven looked like Ino. Not that he actually thought he would go to heaven when he died....

A smile made her look even more vibrant, like a vengeful goddess of beauty. "You look terrible. We'll get you out of here, so don't worry."

That very emotion suddenly gripped his chest, making it even more painful to breathe. Ino was a talented kunoichi, but she'd be cut to ribbons by the cursed Sound ninja. "You have to go, now," he wheezed.

"Shino!" Ino cried.

"On it," a deep voice said, and Shikamaru finally saw the source of the buzzing. Shino dropped out of the treetops, surrounded by a black cloud of insects. The bugs settled on the chakra-filled hair, revealing that the space they inhabited was nearly filled with cris-crossing strands of hair. If either of them moved an inch they would be sliced. Unfortunately, the Sound nin took that moment to unleash a new attack, her hair lifting from behind her and reaching out in all directions. Shino cursed as he dodged, a shield of bugs protecting him, and Shikamaru's stomach lurched as a thin cut appeared on Ino's cheek. Shino's jaw was clenched as he moved closer to the enemy, his bugs swarming on the new hair.

"You have to get out of here," Shikamaru begged.

"I'm going to protect you," she insisted, drawing a kunai and crouching in front of him. "Hinata, get him out of here."

Shikamaru started as the white-eyed woman appeared at his side. "Tenten?" he asked.

"Lee has her," Hinata answered quietly, draping his unbroken arm around her shoulder.

"Get out of here, quickly," Shino shouted, his scowl partially covered by his sunglasses.

"Right away," Hinata agreed, and lifted him. He gritted his teeth against the pain.

"I don't want to leave Ino here," he panted. "She'll be killed!"

"She'll be fine," Hinata answered, glancing over her shoulder as she carefully leapt down to the next branch. He hissed in pain, and at the same time saw Tenten cradled in Lee's arms.

"Let's go," Lee announced, and sped off through the trees. Hinata made to follow when he cried out, gasping with agony as he was yanked out of her grasp. Hair cut into his flesh around the ankle, dragging him back to the battle.

"You wounded me," the enemy bellowed, knocking Shino aside and raising a cloud of insects. "You will never leave here!"

Shikamaru groped for his knife, slashing blindly at the hair, which was still invisible save where it was covered by black bugs. The kunai was ripped from his blistered hands, opening new wounds in his blackened flesh. He clenched his jaw to keep from crying aloud, instead clawing and twisting as he tried to break free. Hinata sprang at him and also slashed at the hairs, and because of her Byakugan was far more successful than he was. However, two hairs replaced every single one she cut, and soon Shikamaru was being pulled up through the branches by his bleeding ankle.

"Shikamaru!" Ino screamed, blue eyes wide as she stared at him, her weapon constantly deflecting hair. The entire battlefield was covered in hair, which was sharper than razor wire.

"Don't move!" he cried back, terrible images of seeing her cut in half piercing his brain through the agony. He grunted as the tentacle of hair flung him upward, slamming him down hard on a high branch. More ribs broke.

"It's over for you, shadow-user," the Sound ninja growled, and sent a spear of white hair straight for his chest.

Shikamaru flinched, closing his eyes, but the blow never came. Ino stood in front of him, blood gushing from her thigh where the hair pierced it. Her kunai had deflected its path, but she obviously couldn't have moved in time. No one could have. "Ino," he moaned as she collapsed against him, face pale and covered with sweat.

"I told you I'd protect you. It's not a bad reason to die," she said with a smile, blue eyes dark with pain.

He felt as if rabid squirrels were clawing their way out of his stomach, he was so anxious. "You shouldn't have, you can't, you need to go," he babbled, impulsively grabbing her with his good arm as panic gripped him.

To his surprise, she suddenly calmed and leaned into him, relaxing. "It's okay," she said, and her smile was so sweet that tears sprang to his eyes. Why had he never told her how dear to him she was?

"Ino," he choked, interrupted by the dull thud of Shino's body hitting a tree nearby. His already shattered attention centered on the fact that he was sitting in a pool of something warm, and he realized with horror that his clothes were soaked with Ino's blood. The hair must have severed the large artery in her leg. "Ino!" he shouted.

"Hold her," Hinata said, appearing beside him, face and arms covered with small lacerations. She must have been using a Kaiten variation to keep her vitals from harm. Her hands gently massaged the wounds in Ino's leg, the chakra glowing as she applied it.

"Will she be okay?" He asked, watching Shino lunge once more at the Sound ninja, only to be batted away again. Bugs filled the air.

"She'll be fine. Just hold her," Hinata ordered, voice full of determination.

"Watch out!" Shino bellowed, and Shikamaru tore his eyes away from Ino in time to see dozens of hair-spears headed straight for him. Too damaged to move, he pulled Ino to him, Hinata also moving closer in.

"I'm sorry," he murmured to Ino, running a thumb along her cheek, wiping away blood. She smiled weakly. It would all be over in a second.

"Kamaitachi!" someone screamed, and the hair-spears scattered into a million strands, floating uselessly to the forest floor. Shikamaru felt his heart race. He knew that voice, he knew that technique.

The Sound ninja shrieked and sent her hair flying in all directions, another spear directed straight at them, which was abruptly stopped by a wall of sand that appeared immediately in front of them. "Gaara!" Hinata cried, a smile on her face.

"You fools," Gaara said, appearing next to her. "You should not take on such an opponent without backup."

"We tried," Shikamaru spat.

"You have to do better than that," the redhead murmured, sending a wave of sand at the enemy.

"Silly man," a woman said, and Shikamaru felt a wave of relief as Temari's midnight eyes gazed down at him.

"I've never been so glad to see you," he said.

"You've looked better," she countered, grinning. Her smile faltered a little as she saw Ino in his arms. Her gaze swept over his face, examining him, then locked with Ino's. The two women stared at one another for what seemed like forever, then Temari sighed. "Hey, when you two get back to town, why don't you take her out to dinner?"

Shikamaru's eyes went wide. "But I'm not supposed to do that until-"

"Just take her out," she interrupted, expression sad. "You need to let go of things, sometimes."

"But Temari-"

"Shut up!" she shouted, readying her fan. "Girl, make sure he takes you out, okay?"

Ino nodded, lips pale. "Okay."

Temari broke out in a grin. "Hey, sweet cheeks," she shouted to Shino. "Lend me those bugs and then get the hell out of here!"

Shino blushed but came immediately over to them. "What do you want me to do?" he asked, his head tilted as if he was watching Gaara attack the enemy out of the corner of his eye.

"Get your friends to safety. Kankuro will help."

"I always have to help," Kankuro whined, suddenly crouching next to Shikamaru. He glared at Ino. "She'd better be worth more than my sister, or you'll pay."

Shikamaru flinched and swallowed, nodding. Shino helped Ino up, Hinata finishing the binding on her thigh. Kankuro heaved Shikamaru to semi-standing. "Let's go," Hinata said, leading the way.

"Be careful," Shikamaru shouted over his shoulder, catching the Sand kunoichi's eye.

"For you, anything," she replied, and he watched her slice at the enemy with her fan until they had moved out of sight.


	27. Chapter 27 The Hospital and Hinata

A/N: Yargh, really short chapter before the weekend. Sorry. It's just where the scene ends in my mind. However, it doesn't leave anything up in the air that wasn't already up in the air, though, so that works out, I suppose. Anyhow, I'm really happy so many of you enjoyed the battle! Yeah, the Sound ninja was reminiscent of one of the youkai in Inu Yasha (Kura, I think?), but I didn't realize that until after I wrote her, so oh well. Thank you for all the reviews - I have more reviews for this fic than for any other. I'm not getting a swollen head, I promise. I actually like it when you guys tell me things you thought I could have done differently. Whether or not I'll edit a particular chapter to make it better, though, depends on how lazy I'm feeling. I really do try to take most of your comments into consideration for later chapters. So, fire away. Thanks again!

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His head felt as tight and hollow as a hide drum, forcing him to open his eyes more carefully than he would have liked. A white ceiling greeted him, a soft beeping in the background. He felt cold, shuddering, and was about to burrow deeper under the blankets when everything came rushing back to him. "Ino!" he cried, snapping upright in the bed. 

"She's sleeping," a soft voice said, and he looked up to see Hinata sitting next to the bed, Naruto leaning against the wall next to her.

"How is she?" he asked, wincing as his head throbbed.

"She'll be fine," Hinata answered. "You all will be."

"Temari?"

Naruto shot Hinata a look and nodded. The woman took a deep breath before speaking. "She was badly injured, but she'll be fine."

"Sakura did the operation herself," Naruto explained. "They beat that Sound woman good, you know."

Shikamaru nodded, slowly collapsing back on to the bed. The wall calendar told him he had only been out for a day and a half, which wasn't bad. "And Chouji?"

"With Ino."

"Good," he mumbled, staring at the ceiling. His chest hurt, and not from his broken ribs, although that still bothered him as well. He supposed that someone would get around to fixing him up eventually.

"Naruto, please leave us for a moment," Hinata quietly asked.

He sighed and shook his head. "You can't save everybody, Hinata-chan."

"Neither can you," she retorted.

Naruto's customary grin spread over his face and he removed his head protector, scratching his head. "Well, I can try. I am going to be Hokage someday, after all. Probably sooner than we think, thanks to Shikamaru's brilliant planning. Next time Orochimaru shows up I'm going to kill him myself. I'm tired of him reincarnating himself."

Hinata sighed. "Oh, hush and leave us."

"I just want your attention," he replied with a wink before kissing her on the forehead.

"Looks like you're about to get the wrong kind of attention," Shikamaru commented dryly, watching Hinata's hand clench.

Naruto chortled and moved towards the door. "All right, all right," he laughed, opening the door. "But just for the record, any attention is good attention," he said, and departed.

Shikamaru watched Hinata's eyes follow the man as he left. Her entire expression was soft, her skin practically glowing. He wondered if all women in love looked like that. "He works so hard," she murmured. "He's always in the scroll library studying, or training, or trying to come up with new techniques. He loves every single one of us so very much."

She seemed sad as she uttered the last sentence, and something occurred to him. "It would be nice to be the focus of that love for once, wouldn't it?"

A blush stained her cheeks. "Perhaps. But his love for all is what will make him a wonderful Hokage."

Shikamaru impulsively covered the hand of the woman that felt like his sister. "He does focus his love on you, Hinata," he explained. "I can see it I his eyes. Every second of every day he thinks of you. You're the only person in the world, as far as he's concerned. The rest of us are just his responsibility."

Hinata laughed softly, waving her hand. "Enough," she said. "Let me look at those ribs. We were so busy earlier that I didn't get the chance."

He winced as she poked and prodded, her hands glowing with chakra. Rumor had it that Sakura's medical talent would soon outpace Tsunade's, and he knew Hinata wasn't far behind the pink-haired kunoichi. His ribs screamed pain to his brain for a few moments, then his muscles relaxed and he felt immeasurably better. Shikamaru shot her a brief smile, but the expression quickly faded from his face as a different kind of pain returned to his chest.

"Did I not do a good job?" his friend asked, white eyes concerned.

"No, you did perfectly."

"Then what is it?"

He almost didn't tell her because it would be troublesome, then he weighed the option of just keeping it cooped up inside. He went with the choice that would cause him the least grief in the long run. "Temari dumped me," he blurted, surprised at how much it hurt to admit it.

Hinata's jaw dropped slightly, and her eyes went wide. "She left you? When?"

"During the battle. She told me to see other people."

"Well? Why don't you?"

"It's not that easy," he growled. "I know she's in love with me. Why would she just leave me when she loves me?" His face began to get hot and it was hard to inhale. He felt as if he was trying to breathe past a sponge lodged in his throat.

Everything about Hinata's expression indicated that she was alarmed. "But, I thought you didn't love her, that she was too troublesome-"

"I don't know how I feel anymore," he mumbled, shutting his eyes when they began to burn. "I didn't think I was in love with her."

"You don't have to be in love with someone to care about them."

"Ninja aren't supposed to have feelings."

"Things happen." She sighed and stood, glancing at the clock. "Time will help," she said softly. "Write her a letter, tell her how you feel. Give yourself closure. The rest will come. When you're feeling better, take Ino out to dinner. She's been waiting for you a long time."

Shikamaru watched her go, wondering what she meant when she said what she did about Ino. He brooded over his feelings for a while, then decided it wasn't worth the trouble. Hinata was right. It would work itself out, he was sure of it. That being settled, he rolled over and quickly drifted off to sleep.


	28. Chapter 28 Moving on

A/N: Another short chapter, sorry. Writing short chapters is the only way I can manage to update three times a week, so that's another reason, if you care. Thanks for all the feedback, everyone! I'm glad I can entertain you, and that some of you really seem to like this fic! I'm pleased that the majority of you think I'm keeping everyone relatively in character. Since they're older, that's sort of difficult for me to do, sometimes, because I'm not entirely sure how their characters would have reacted and changed to deal with things as they grew up. Oh well.

Anyhow, someone asked why I hadn't made mention of Kakashi- did I forget to mention him during the festival chapters? I could have sworn I did, but maybe I forgot.... Sorry about that! I love Kakashi, but he doesn't really fit into the story anywhere, mostly because I don't figure Shikamaru has much contact with him. Kurenai is mentioned only because she's now connected to Asuma, who Shikamaru would know and probably care about. Anyway, sorry for the oversight. I can't promise he'll pop up later, though.

Oh, and Shino was originally in Kankuro's place in this chapter, because I thought it'd be sorta cute if Shino had a thing for Temari, then realized it was too forced, and switched them out. Dang it, I really like Temari, and this chapter was sort of difficult to write for that reason. But, hopefully you'll agree with me that they're both better off following their respective dreams...

Okay, now these notes are too long, so I'll go. Enjoy!

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The next day his mind was made up. He was feeling much better, so he gathered his belongings and left his room before anyone could stop by and see him. Being who he was, it didn't take him long to find Temari's room, and he quietly entered. She was lying on the bed, pale with dark circles under her eyes, and he was slightly annoyed to find she wasn't alone. Well, he would say what he came to say, regardless of an audience. It was only Kankuro, after all. 

She had been smiling at her brother just a moment before, but her expression tightened when she saw him and became a grimace. "Hey," she said, faking a grin. "Good thing I saved your butt again."

He ambled over to her bedside, greeting Kankuro with a nod. Swallowing, he took her hand. "You don't have to pretend," he grumbled, voice hoarse. He could feel emotions he'd rather ignore building in his chest. "It's okay if it hurts. You're not weak."

"It doesn't hurt," she said with a scowl, but he knew she was lying. He could see it in her eyes.

"You don't have to leave me. We don't have to stop."

"What, is it so troublesome to find another woman, or just troublesome to be alone?" she commented snidely.

"You almost died protecting me, Temari. I know you love me. I think I might love you, too."

Kankuro stood. "I'll go now," he said. "Temari, I'll be back." Walking past Shikamaru, he put his hand on the other man's shoulder. "Whatever happens, it's fine," he murmured, then was gone.

Shikamaru rubbed his face with his palms and shuffled over to the chair Kankuro had vacated. "Dammit, now I'm even getting pep talks from your brother," he growled.

"So what?" Temari said, but Shikamaru could guess that she had been worried about Kankuro as well. Temari had an enormous sense of responsibility. He had heard rumors that she might be next in line for Kazekage.

"It bugs me to get encouragement from people stronger than me, which seems like just about everybody, lately."

"Oh, don't be such a crab. I have to save his ass, too."

Shikamaru snorted, smirking, then let his face become serious once more. He carefully look her hand, half expecting her to try and smack him, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "This doesn't have to happen," he whispered. "Things don't have to change."

"I don't love you," she said, but her eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "Ninja don't feel anything."

"Sometimes it's more trouble to suppress your feelings," he murmured.

"Don't look at me," she sniffled, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. "I don't have feelings."

"Yes, you do. I'm the only man you've ever loved. I know you love your brothers, too, and your country."

She looked up at him, and to his surprise there was no weakness in her tears. "But it doesn't matter. You don't love me, not like that. Your heart was taken a long time ago, and you don't even know it."

He had nothing to say to that. Temari was dear to him, but he could live on if something happened to her. He didn't want her to leave him, but he knew it would be okay. It just hurt like hell.

"See?" she said, voice cracking. "We want different things, anyway. I won't ever be your wife. That's not what I want. I want power, I want excitement. I don't want to sit and watch the clouds go by."

"Then I'll do what you want. That's all I've been doing anyway."

"And it's gone on too long. It's not your natural state, and we both know it. This is more than we bargained for, so we have to get back on track."

He snorted a laugh. "I don't have a track, and you know it. That's why I've been using yours."

Her tears abated somewhat, a brief smile flickering across her face. "Well, it's time to grow up, you lazy bastard. Take a good look at yourself. You know you can be with a woman, so go out there and get one you want. I promise it'll be less troublesome to get the right one than to let others drag you around your whole life."

"It doesn't sound less troublesome."

"Fine. Then it'll be worth the trouble."

He studied her for a long time, memorizing her coarse, dirty-blonde hair and her dark blue eyes. "You're not going to change your mind, are you."

"No."

He sighed. "You're stronger than I am."

Her smile appeared again. "I know."

Standing, he gave her hand a quick kiss. "I'll always be your friend. I don't want this to be the last time I ever see you. Besides, who's going to save me all the time if you're not around?"

"That Ino girl seems capable," she grinned.

"Ugh. I'm outta here. Feel better, and give my regards to your brothers."

"I will. Goodbye, Shikamaru."

"Goodbye, Temari," he said, and quickly left the room before he lost his composure. Kankuro was in the hallway, leaning against the wall. "That's it," he mumbled. "See you later. "

Kankuro nodded. "See you," he said, and disappeared inside the room.

Thrusting his hands deep in his pockets, Shikamaru decided that a nice, long vacation would be in order. He didn't care if he didn't get paid- the post-war missions would be terrible, and he had a lot on his mind. There was something he had to do first, however.

Making his way down to the hospital gift shop, he pulled his wallet out and chose a bouquet of red tulips. The flowers all came from the Yamanaka's, anyway, so he didn't feel disloyal by not buying directly from his family's friends. "You must know a lot about flowers," the clerk said. "The Yamanakas take great pride in the vibrancy of their tulips."

"Great," he grumbled, handing her the money.

"Red tulips signify love."

Shikamaru cringed inwardly. He sure had a problem with picking flowers. Well, let Ino read into it what she would. Taking the bouquet, he went to her room and slowly pushed open the door. She was asleep, but Naomi was there, Chouji snoring in a chair next to her, holding the baby, who was also asleep. Naomi's eyes widened when she saw him, and she moved to greet him, but he simply shook his head and held a finger to his lips. Placing the bouquet on the stand next to Ino's bed, he fled the hospital and went to watch the clouds.

He filed for vacation, didn't bother waiting for approval, and spent the next two weeks either shut up in his apartment or watching the clouds. Chouji stopped by, as did others, but he wasn't speaking to anyone. They were sure to be upset with him, but he simply didn't care. He was startled by the depth of the wounds left by being dumped by Temari, and the only way he knew to make them stop hurting was to poke and prod them until they went numb. Dwelling on the fact that she was no longer in his life was painful, but he was able to come to terms with it. One morning he woke up, rolled over, and peered out at the sky. It was an alarmingly beautiful blue, and his first thought was of Ino's eyes. He knew he was starting to heal. It was time.

He rose, showered, and dressed, actually taking the time to look nice, or at least nicer than usual. As he got older he found that it was far easier to do troublesome things. It was just something adults did. Only children had the luxury of being so lazy. As an adult, he found it would be far more troublesome to never make an effort. Not that he made an effort very often, otherwise it wouldn't count so much when he did. As he dressed, something on a dusty bookshelf caught his eye. It was a jewelry box, and it held the lapis lazuli earrings he had bought for Ino when they were teenagers. He had purchased them to match the bracelet he had given her at the festival all those years ago. The magic of that night swirled up inside of him, making his head feel light, and he remembered the sweet pressure of Ino's lips against his. Something stirred in his chest, and he snatched up the earrings and shoved them in his pocket.

His destination was decided before he even locked up his apartment, which left him ample time to think about the past and what he learned from his time with Temari. He didn't know how things would go when he got where he was going, but that was a chance he'd have to take. The flower shop loomed in sight, and he hoped his luck would hold.

It did. He pushed open the door to the shop and saw Ino standing behind the counter, mouth dropping open as she saw him. Without hesitation he walked up to the counter, slid the earring box over to her, and looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry for ignoring you these past couple of weeks," he said.

She ignored his words, simply glaring at him, and opened the box. "They're lovely!" she squealed, immediately trying the earrings on. "They match that bracelet you bought me!"

"You still have that?"

"Of course! That was the best night of my life!"

He caught her gaze and held it, entranced by her blue eyes as his heart hammered in his chest. She was more beautiful than he remembered, somehow. "Then how about we try for another?"

Her cheeks stained pink. "Okay," she murmured.

"I'll pick you up at seven. We're going out to dinner," he said, and left the shop, leaving a dumbfounded Ino behind.


	29. Chapter 29 Dinner and disaster

A/N: I can't tell you all how pleased I am that you thought the break-up scene went okay. I really do like Temari, but think she could find someone better-suited to what I imagine her goals are. Anyway, now that this fic is traveling down the Shikamaru/Ino path, I really hope I don't lose readers. It's true that there aren't tons of people reviewing this story, but the ones that do review are awesome. Thanks so much for taking the time to do that, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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"Damn it," Shikamaru muttered as he ambled down the street, realizing how empty his wallet was. He considered stopping by his parents' house to borrow money, then realized how troublesome that would be. His mother would never let him out of the house, nor would he live it down. Chouji was another option, but his house was too far away. If he went there and back he'd be late meeting Ino. That, too, was more trouble than it was worth. However, he only had enough to take her out for ramen, which wouldn't help patch things up any. Ino deserved a nice dinner, and begging for money was going to be less hassle than upsetting her. 

Out of options, he sighed and continued walking down the street. His brain wandered through his options and came up empty. He was going to be in trouble, end of story. Just as he was about to give up, he saw Lee's shiny black head of hair bobbing down the street in front of him. Shikamaru glanced about for Sakura, but the jounin seemed to be alone. Increasing his pace, he trotted up to Lee's side.

"Hi," he said, catching Lee's round eyes. The young man was still strange-looking, although his appearance had improved since Sakura had convinced him to grow out his hair a little and pull it back into a short ponytail. At least a person could finally tell the guy had ears.

"Oh, hello, Shikamaru!" Lee replied, grinning.

He winced at the brightness of the smile but had to give the guy credit for his energy. If he had that kind of energy for himself, he probably would have taken over the world by the time he was eighteen. It was a good thing his brainpower was tempered by his laziness. "I need a favor."

Lee scowled slightly, slowing his pace. "Are you in trouble?"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, then remembered that he needed to be nice if he was going to get any money out of Lee. "Sort of," he replied, an idea popping into his head. "You see, I'm about to try to make up with my very best friend after years of tension between us. Yet, I haven't worked because of my recent heartbreak."

"Oh! Heartbreak!" Lee wailed, fists clenching. "I am so sorry that your tender, youthful feelings have been abused!"

Shikamaru blinked. "Ah, yes. Anyhow, I offered to take my friend to dinner so we could patch things up, but because I haven't been working, broken heart and whatnot, I don't have money to actually take her out."

Lee pursed his lips. "That's terrible!"

"Yeah. So can I borrow some money?"

Lee's expression snapped back to normal. "Nope."

"What? Why not?"

Lee grinned and fixed him with a burning stare. "Because you must push through your grief and continue to work! Even heartbreak is not a good excuse to cease training and serving your country!"

"Oh, come on. Give me a break," Shikamaru groaned. "Please?"

"Ah, and now you sacrifice your pride," Lee replied, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "I am sorry that your sorrow has brought you this low."

"I'm always this low," he muttered. "Come on, Lee. Help me out. I'm going to be late."

Lee looked around carefully, then motioned Shikamaru to follow him to a shadowed doorway. He raised an eyebrow, then followed the taijutsu specialist. "Okay," Lee breathed. "I know this isn't something that Gai-sensei would do, but here you go."

Shikamaru's eyes opened wide as Lee dropped a fat roll of bills into his hands. "Wow. This is a bit more than I need."

Lee shook his head. "Nonsense. You need to show Ino a fine evening of dinner and dancing."

"You know I'm taking Ino out?" he groaned.

Lee scowled at him. "Of course. What do you take me for? A simpleton? Well, I'm not surprised. Many people mistake my enthusiasm for intellectual simplicity."

"Sorry about that."

"No worries. My darling Sakura, at least, was able to see the truth, and that's all that matters." Lee peered up at the sky. "You had better hurry. Ino's going to be upset if you're late."

Shikamaru pocketed the bills, still impressed by Lee's generosity. "I really appreciate this. I'll bring you the change and pay you back soon."

Lee shrugged, smiling. "Sakura would kill me if she found out I didn't help you make her best friend happy. Just don't tell anyone I lent you the money."

"I won't," Shikamaru replied, moving on with a wave. "Thanks again."

"My pleasure! Enjoy the passion of youth!" he cried, departing in the other direction.

Shikamaru walked toward the flower shop, making a mental note to reevaluate his opinion of Lee. He already respected the fellow as a great ninja, but it seemed that he had fallen into the same trap that everyone else had and judged the young man by his looks. So much for genius.

He didn't have much longer to think about it, for he arrived at Ino's right at seven. Ringing the bell, he heard the echo of the chimes deep inside the house and was startled when her father, Inoshi, opened the door. "Oh, Shikamaru," he said. "What are you doing here? Can your dad not make the poker night?"

"Poker night?"

Inoshi's face relaxed. "I guess everything's fine. Don't tell your mom I said anything, okay?"

Shikamaru blinked. "Ah, okay."

"So, what brings you here?"

Shikamaru fidgeted a bit, squinting at the blonde-haired man. "Uh, I'm here to pick up Ino."

Inoshi took a step back, forgetting the door, which opened wide. His jaw dropped and he raised his hands slightly, as if he was either trying to shield himself from Shikamaru or was going to attack him. "My precious baby? You're taking out my jewel?"

"Yes?" Shikamaru asked, face scrunched up in confusion.

Suddenly Inoshi filled the door frame, handsome face scowling at the young man. "If you so much as lay a hand on her," he growled, eyes blazing.

"I'm just taking her out to dinner, I swear," Shikamaru protested, raising his own arms in defense. Although he was roughly the same size as the elder Yamanaka, he suddenly felt very, very small and very, very weak.

He swore he could actually see flames leaping in Inoshi's eyes. "It had better be, or else your ass is mine, boy," he grated, hands balling up into fists.

"Dad!" a voice shouted, and suddenly Inoshi was all smiles, trotting over to his daughter.

"Yes, sweet pea?"

"Stop bugging him," Ino spat,"Or I won't bother coming home."

"I'm sorry I threatened you," Inoshi said with a grin. The second Ino glanced away, however, he glared at Shikamaru.

"Uh, no problem?" he replied. Ino smiled and pranced over to him.

"Bye!" she said. "I'll be home by midnight!"

"Bye, sweetie," Inoshi chimed, and as soon as her back was turned he sent Shikamaru a final glare and shut the door.

"Er, your dad sure has a lot of energy," he muttered, scratching his head.

Ino latched onto his arm, the top of her head barely past his shoulder. "He goes crazy whenever boys come to take me out. He'll calm down eventually. I forgot how he gets. I haven't been out with anyone in a while."

He glanced down at her, but he decided not to say anything. Her hands on his arm were warm, and a slightly floral fragrance wafted from her hair. It didn't smell like any shampoo he had ever experienced, and he eventually realized the scent came from the flowers she worked with all day. It was absolutely lovely. "Shikamaru?" she asked, startling him out of his musing.

"Yeah?" he replied, blinking down at her, and realized she was wearing the earrings and bracelet he had given her. She had on a tunic to match, with small, light lavender flowers embroidered on it, and a long, black skirt that seemed as if it was easy to move around in.

"Where are we going?"

A blush stained his cheeks. How could he have forgotten? There was a beautiful woman on his arm; that's how he could have forgotten. "Sea Star, I thought."

Her eyes lit up. "That's great! That's my favorite restaurant!"

"It is?"

"Absolutely!"

He smiled in spite of himself. Maybe taking Ino out would be less troublesome than he thought. She chattered on about her day in the flower shop until they reached the restaurant, his entire body feeling relaxed as he listened to the sound of her voice. They managed to get seated without delay, and it wasn't until they sat down at their table that Ino suddenly turned shy. She looked down at her water glass, her cheeks stained pink as the candlelight mellowed the white-gold of her hair. He could think of nothing to say to her, for his tongue had gone numb at her beauty. The waiter came, Shikamaru ordered for both of them, and they settled once more into silence.

"It's been too long," he finally said. There were so many things rolling around in his head that he wanted to say, but he didn't know how to say any of them. He had never been good at connecting his head with his heart.

"I know," she replied, downcast eyes shadowed by her long, thick lashes. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too," he murmured, and he surprised himself by meaning it. "Nobody besides you and Chouji will watch the clouds with me, and you smell better than he does."

"Chouji doesn't smell bad," she protested.

"Of course not. But he doesn't smell wonderful, like you."

She blushed and looked at the table again. "Isn't their baby beautiful?"

He smiled, thinking of the brown-haired bundle Naomi had delivered. "Yeah, he's great. They're really lucky."

The conversation lapsed for a while as they each retreated into their thoughts, and again the silence became awkward. Shikamaru knew there were too many things not being said. "How's Sakura?" he asked. "I ran into Lee."

"She's fine. She thinks Lee is going to ask her to marry him."

"What will she say?"

"Oh, she'll say yes. From what she's told me, he's an incredible lover. Hung like a-."

"Don't need to know that," he grimaced.

She blushed again. "Sorry," she mumbled. "But he's also sweet, and kind, and committed, and never tries to hold her back. He's a one-man encouragement machine, and that's exactly what she needs. I think a part of her will always long for Sasuke, but he's such a mess it'll never happen, and she knows what a good man Lee is."

Their food was served, and as they dug in he figured it was safe to begin to talk about what was on his mind. He kept her occupied with idle conversation until she was half-done with her meal, then took a deep breath. "And how about you? Do you still long for Sasuke?"

She laughed, the sound sparkling in the cozy semi-darkness of the restaurant. "Of course not," she chortled. "I thought he was cute, but it was just a crush. Mostly it was to get back at Sakura for breaking off our friendship for him. It took a long time for me to forgive him for running away like that. After he got him back I could no longer respect him, and I have to respect a man to fall in love with him."

His heart leapt in his chest. It was time to breach the subject that had been bothering him for years. "So, why did you date all those guys, then? Were you really in love with all of them?"

"I've never been in love," she said coldly, an unreadable expression in her eyes. "Unlike you."

"I wasn't in love with Temari."

"That's why you were with her for over a year?"

"We were good friends. We tried to see one another when we could."

Ino's eyes snapped with blue fire. "And of course you had to see her all the time, since you needed to get laid."

His nostrils flared at her biting tone. "You could never understand what she and I had," he said sharply. His wounds were too fresh, he realized. He missed having someone, and their breakup still stung.

"Apparently not. I don't know what it's like to be with a woman who's probably slept with half of Konoha."

"You don't know her," he growled. "Besides, what do you think you did? I think you dated the entire damn village. You were Konoha's biggest tease. Rumor had it that there wasn't anybody you wouldn't date."

Anger twisted her face, and she slammed her napkin down on the table. She glared at him for a moment, then her face sagged as tears sprang to her eyes. "This was a mistake. I don't know why I thought we could be friends again," she choked, and dashed from the restaurant.

Shikamaru stared at her mostly-eaten food for a moment, dumbstruck. He had just rammed his foot so far into his mouth that it was poking out the back of his head. "Damn it ," he muttered, and threw some money down onto the table before setting off after her.


	30. Chapter 30 Heart to heart

A/N: I'm glad you all liked Lee. I, personally, think he's great. And yeah, Shikamaru and Ino have a lot of crud to get through. Hopefully you'll like the way things turn out by the end of the fic, though. Thanks for reading, and, as always, I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter.

* * *

He tore down the street, chasing Ino as she fled. Her skirt was giving her more mobility than he thought it would, and he was having a difficult time keeping up with her. It was times like this that he remembered that she was a high-caliber kunoichi. She darted into the trees and he followed, barely able to keep her in sight. If this situation wasn't the epitome of troublesome, he didn't know what was. 

They were nearing her house when he lost sight of her. He should have foreseen that he would upset her, and that she'd start to cry and run. Why did she have to be so slippery? "Ino?" he called out, and he was surprised when she actually answered.

"Here," she replied, and he stopped dead in his tracks at the edge in her voice, slowly turning around to see her perched in a tree. Her lovely face was hard, the area around her eyes puffy, and with horror he realized she was making a seal with her hands, a seal he knew very well. She was going to switch bodies.

"Ino!" he cried, trying to move to the side, but it was too late.

He woke up some time later, face down in the dirt in a park on the other side of town. Ino hadn't been too careful with his body as she had run him across town, for there were scrapes on his knees and elbows. His face was wet with tears. Oh, just great. She had run him through the middle of town crying. He sincerely hoped that nobody he knew had seen him.

Picking himself off the ground with a groan, he knew that Ino would be safely locked up inside her parents' house. He could go and try to convince her to see him, but the thought of Inoshi guarding the door made him lose his nerve. Dying young didn't sound like a good idea. Going home didn't sound like fun, either, and so he set off towards town. Oddly enough, he didn't feel like being alone, since he knew he would just think about Ino.

He found himself outside the first watering hole he came to, a dingy little bar with paint flaking off the siding. Sighing, he pushed his way inside, immediately assaulted by a voice he recognized.

"And so I punched him!" Kiba announced, slamming his cup down on the bar. He and Naruto were sitting side by side, already well on their way to getting drunk. Kiba's hand was on Naruto's shoulder, obviously forcing the blonde to sit there and listen to him.

"Yo," Naruto said, and several heads in the joint swiveled around and fixed their bleary stares on Shikamaru.

"Hi," he drawled in response, walking past Kiba and sitting on the stool next to Naruto.

Naruto shrugged off Kiba's hand and turned to look at him. "Why the long face? What happened to your clothes?"

"I just managed to screw up a date. Sake, please," he told the bartender. "Where's Hinata?"

Naruto shrugged. "Family business, I guess. Neji's there, too." He gestured to the corner, where Shikamaru was shocked to see TenTen playing drinking games with Asuma. The woman's face was flushed, and her grip on her cup of sake was so tight her fingertips were white.

"I guess TenTen's not too happy about that," Shikamaru grunted.

"Hey, I was talking to you!" Kiba growled, and commandeered Naruto's attention once more.

Shikamaru sighed into his drink and downed it, grimacing at the slight burn as he always did. He didn't often drink, but he felt that it was the only way to unwind in his situation.

"I thought it was you," he heard someone say, and his cheeks flamed. He didn't want to turn around, knowing who the speaker was, but his upbringing won out, and he faced the speaker politely.

"Hi, Dad," he grumbled.

Shikato raised his eyebrows. "I haven't seen you in weeks and that's all you can say?"

Shikamaru groaned as his father pulled up a stool next to him. "I was going to visit, I swear. Things have just been rough lately."

"You look like hell. You pissed off a woman, didn't you?"

"Only one?" Shikamaru sighed.

His father let out a low whistle. "Wow, you're something else."

"What's that mean?"

"I didn't know you were seeing multiple people at once."

"Well, right now I'm not seeing anybody."

Shikato clapped him on the back. "I heard that you broke up with the Sand girl. Too bad. She was a looker. You could tell she was going places."

"Yeah, she was. That's why we're not together anymore."

The elder Nara's face softened. "Hey, I know it hurts. You'll get over it. Find someone new."

"I tried. She's the one I pissed off."

"Ouch."

"I'm sure you'll hear all about it. Inoshi's probably after my head by now."

"You pissed off Ino?" His jaw dropped open, and he rubbed a stubbly cheek. "Yeah, I'd steer clear of the Yamanakas' place for a while."

"I plan to," Shikamaru mumbled. He really did feel awful about how things had gone down, though. His behavior certainly hadn't been the best. He couldn't believe he was going to do what he was about to do, so he took another drink and faced his father. "What should I do?"

Shikato's eyes went wide. "You're asking me?"

"You've been married to Mom for what, twenty-six years? That has to count for something. Nobody's as crazy as she is. What do you do when you make her upset?"

His father blushed. "You really don't want to know. It's not an option for you, considering you're not with Ino yet."

"Yet?"

"It doesn't mean you ever have to be with her," he amended, ordering a drink and downing it in one gulp. Shikamaru was starting to see firsthand some of the things about his father that he had always suspected upset his mother.

Shikamaru merely grunted in reply.

"Listen, those Yamanakas are a prickly bunch sometimes. They're loyal unto death, but sometimes that passion makes them, er, difficult. You'll have to write to her."

Shikamaru downed his second drink, hoping the alcohol would let down his intellectual guard enough that he could begin to wrap his head around the situation he was in. "Write what?"

Shikato waved a hand in the air, miraculously on his fourth beverage. "Oh, apologize, talk about how awful you are, how lovely and perfect she is. . . . That kind of stuff."

"I'm not going to lie. She's at fault, too."

His father mashed his hand over Shikamaru's mouth. "Don't you ever, ever let her hear that. It will be the end of you. If she doesn't kill you, Inoshi will. I love the guy, but he's really protective of Ino."

"I noticed," the young man growled, casting aside his father's rough hand.

"Then just buy her presents. Jewelry, chocolate, and flowers are all good. Eventually she'll come around."

"Yeah, that's my style," Shikamaru grumbled.

"I'm just telling you what works," his father replied with a shrug. "Take it or leave it."

He eyed his father, wondering if the man was completely trashed or just well on his way. He was just starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, so he decided to call it a night, saying farewell to Shikato and briefly speaking with Asuma. His final deed of the night was to free Naruto from Kiba's clutches, then he slipped from the bar.

Walking out into the night, he inhaled a deep breath of fresh air, slowly letting it out in a sigh, trying to clear his head. He was a mess, body, mind, and heart confused and hurting. Taking a few more steps, he stopped, a sour expression on his face. "I just had a heart-to-heart with my dad," he muttered to himself, slowly turning around and surveying the building he had just left. "In a bar," he shuddered, and giving himself a final shake, made his way home.


	31. Chapter 31 Aiming for reconciliation

A/N: I'm glad you're all enjoying the strife. I'm pleased that most of you think it's still interesting even though there hasn't been a payoff yet. As for the chapter titles, I'm aware that they suck. I'm just not interested in trying to think up clever ones. I'm one of those people that needs to have a title before they start or a good one will never come. So, please forgive that. I noticed that some different people reviewed over the past few days. Thanks! Thanks also to the tried-and-true, consistent reviewers. All of you generally give good feedback, and I really do appreciate knowing when there's something in particular you like.

* * *

"Thank you," he told Inoshi as the man took his envelope. He'd been writing letters to Ino for three weeks, as well as sending her flowers, candy, and anything else he could think of. She still wouldn't see him. 

"I'm sorry, my boy," Inoshi said, turning the envelope over. "I wish I could change her mind, but she's really upset. Chouji tried to talk to her, too, and now she's not speaking to any of us."

"Sakura can't get near her, either," Shikamaru sighed. "Well, thanks for sliding that under her door for me."

"Don't give up," the elder Yamanaka said. "I know it's a hassle, but not even Ino's stubbornness can last forever."

"I'll try to remember that," he replied, and walked back down the street with a final wave.

As he wandered down the street, he wondered why she was so intent on punishing him. What had he done wrong? Why did she care what he thought, anyway? Sometimes he wondered if she cared about him at all. However, if she didn't care, why would she have become so upset? He suspected she was keeping something from him, something important. The fact rankled, but he had come to realize how much he was hurting, too. It drove him crazy to think of her upset, or crying alone in her room. Ino was troublesome, but it killed him to think that he was the reason she was unhappy. The past few weeks had made him realize how important she was to him. Now that he could actually have her, he found that he wanted her. He just wasn't quite sure what to do about it, and he wasn't sure if she would actually want him in return.

Disgusted with himself and his own musings, he stalked across town, finding himself at the residence of his best friend. He didn't even bother knocking, just walked on in as if it were his own home. Taking his shoes off, he stomped into the living room, where a lovely young woman was playing with a baby on the rug. Large green eyes looked up at him as dark eyebrows drew together in the center. "Shikamaru," Naomi murmured, scooping up the baby and cradling him in her arms. "What's the matter?"

He plopped down on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling like a petulant child. "She still won't talk to me." Sighing, he leaned his head back on the couch and let his eyes wander around the flawlessly clean room.

"Who, Ino?" Chouji asked, appearing in a doorway with a tray laden with food.

"How did you know?" he replied sourly.

"It's sort of obvious," Naomi said, missing his sarcasm. "I don't think I've ever seen you so worked up."

"That's because it's too much trouble to get worked up about things. I couldn't help it this time."

"Because you're nuts about her," Chouji added, sitting down next to him on the couch. He was dressed casually, in some loose pants and a t-shirt, which showed off his muscular neck. His hair poked out in all directions, completely unmanageable when not tucked under the cloth of his forehead protector. He carefully arranged a napkin over his lap and unfolded a small table with his free hand, setting the tray down on it. His large fingers skillfully picked out pieces of nuts and crackers as he began his afternoon snack. "Want some?"

"Why not," Shikamaru grumbled, grabbing some crackers and stuffing them in his mouth. Chewing thoughtfully, he leaned further into the couch. "You know, you guys have been coaching me through this whole thing, and while I appreciate your help, I'm going to stop listening to you."

Chouji choked on his food, then desperately tried not to spray crumbs everywhere as he laughed. Naomi still sat on the floor, eyes wide. "I wondered why you listened to us this long. It's your heart. You're the genius. You just always seemed so pitiful that we felt obliged."

Shikamaru groaned and slapped his forehead. "Then why didn't you guys just tell me that a long time ago?"

Naomi shrugged, watching Chouji get himself under control. "Because you didn't want us to. You wanted to talk about it with us. Now it sounds like you're actually ready to do something about it."

"It's your relationship with Ino, not ours," Chouji added, wiping his mouth with a napkin and downing some water.

"Damn it, I don't even know how I feel about her anymore," he growled. "She's gorgeous, and smart, and talented, but she's so much trouble."

"Then you need to figure out if she's worth the trouble," Chouji said, smiling at his wife. The baby gurgled and grabbed a fistful of her hair. Shikamaru thought the baby was really cute, which he was sort of ashamed of, and realized he wanted one. That was troublesome. Temari had been right all along. That was troublesome, too. He didn't like being wrong. It wasted time.

"You think too much," Naomi muttered, bouncing the baby and making silly faces until he laughed. "Just do something. Ino lets her temper get the better of her, and as much as I love her, she needs to pull her head out of her rear."

"It's just because she feels things so deeply," Chouji explained, resuming his snacking. Shikamaru noticed that he had more crumbs on him than his perpetually-eating friend did and was a bit embarrassed. "She cares more about you than anyone else. Ino's strange; she's used to being the strong one, and she doesn't like to lean on people. She told me once that you were the only person who didn't make her feel like a weakling when she talked about her problems. It's been really tough on her, not having you around."

"Then why did she date all those guys?"

"Probably because she didn't think she could have you," Naomi offered. "You didn't seem interested in girls. Probably thought they were too troublesome. She tried to make you jealous so you would notice her, she tried to forget about you by dating other people, she tried to show the world that she was okay with the boy she cared about not paying any attention to her. She thought she could stop caring about you by caring about other people instead."

"Then she stopped dating, because she realized what was going on, and then you started going with Temari. And now we are where we are," Chouji finished, polishing off his platter of food.

Shikamaru just stared at them. "How did you figure all this out?"

"We talked about it, and what we couldn't figure out, Sakura told us. She knows Ino better than anyone, maybe even you."

"We're tired of watching you fight."

"Damn," he muttered, standing up and carefully catching the crumbs on his shirt, which he dusted onto Chouji's plate. "I guess I had better get going."

"Yes. You're a few years late," Chouji said with a grin.

"Thanks, you two," Shikamaru murmured and dashed out the door.

It wasn't his style to hurry, but his blood was pumping hormones through his body, and his mind was reeling with what he should have seen, but hadn't. His intelligence had failed him, since he had forgotten to apply it to himself. He had made the mistake of thinking he was above such things. It was time to come up with a plan, and since that was his specialty, it didn't take him long. He sped toward the Yamanaka flower shop, bursting through the door and nearly breaking the bell with the force of his entrance.

Ino looked up at him, mouth dropping open and halting in the middle of handing a bouquet to an elderly customer. Shikamaru blushed and immediately tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, pretending to browse as Ino fumbled with the transaction. His heart was hammering in his chest as the old person left, the door finally tinkling shut. He immediately dashed over to her, vaulting the counter and landing right next to her. Ino's face was a mask of anger and hurt, and as he reached for her hand she snatched it away. "I don't want to talk to you," she growled.

Throwing caution to the wind, he clamped his strong hands to her shoulders, forcing her to face him. "Ino, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I never thought about what you must have been feeling, and that was stupid. You deserve better than that."

"Damn right I do!" she snapped, blue eyes ablaze. Her creamy cheeks were beginning to turn red, and he was worried she might cry again.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and suddenly pulled her into an embrace, pressing her head to his shoulder and stroking her hair. "Please forgive me. Please give me another chance."

"Why should I?"

He gently held her at arm's length, his actions finally sinking into his brain. "Because I don't know what I would do without you," he said simply, looking into her eyes, which were welling up with tears.

"All I want is to be with you, and you don't want to," she croaked.

He frantically wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Oh yes, yes I do," he murmured. "Please don't cry. I'm sorry."

She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her. He was taken by her beauty, even when she cried. He wanted to feel her fiery spirit, wanted to see her smile. She was a puzzle he could never figure out, but he didn't care; that was half the fun. Leaning down, he nuzzled her cheek with his nose, closing his eyes and feeling his breath become heavier. He traced her nose with the tip of his, her exhalations warming his lips. The scent of her skin filled his brain, and he tightened his arms around her, ever so lightly brushing her lips with his. He remembered the kiss they had shared when they were sixteen, and suddenly he wanted more of that. No, he had wanted that all along.

Ino let out a great sigh as he tenderly pressed his mouth to hers. Her arms slowly wrapped around his waist, her fingertips digging into his back as she gripped him. He kissed her for a long time, and when he released her she was breathless, her sky-blue eyes wide. "Shikamaru," she whispered.

"Please, Ino," he begged, feeling ecstatic and agonized at the same time.

She nodded. "Okay, okay. You're lucky I'm a softie," she murmured.

"You're anything but," he said with a small smile, kissing her forehead. "I'm just plain lucky."

"I'm still angry at you."

"That's okay. Maybe we can meet tonight and talk about it?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. "Maybe. When and where?"

"Seven-thirty? My favorite hillside?"

She shooed him towards the door. "Okay. I have to get back to work."

He stopped the door with his foot as she tried to shut him out of the shop. "I look forward to it," he said.

"Me, too," she replied with a blush, and closed the door.


	32. Chapter 32 Success

A/N: I'm happy my readers seem to be feeling at least a small sense of gratification, finally. I know I've been stringing you along for a while... For some reason, you guys think I'm gonna stop doing that. Heh. Actually, I hope the happy little interludes don't spoil it for you drama junkies. If so, I apologize! Also, some have asked about Temari. She will show up again toward the end, but only briefly.

Okay, enough rambling from me. I hope you enjoy this, and let me know what you think. Just remember, writing short chapters is what lets me update three times a week.

* * *

Shikamaru stared at the blanket spread out before him, wondering what he had become. Rubbing his temples, he sighed at the basket of food he had obtained from Naomi. He suspected she had fulfilled his request simply to get him out of her hair, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Feeling insecure about free stuff was not only troublesome, it was stupid. He was tired of being stupid. 

Apparently he had been acting stupid for a long time, and he wondered if his time with Temari hadn't happened for the sole purpose of increasing his confidence and learning how to please a woman. He had feared for his health when confronted with Temari's ire, but he found it was his heart that took the worse beating when he dealt with Ino's displeasure. Sure, Ino beat on him from time to time, but she never really tried to hurt him. Mostly they were attention-grabbing gestures.

His eyebrow twitched as he realized how troublesome a relationship with Ino was going to be. Neither one of them was great at voicing their feelings, which meant he was going to have to work at it. He hated work. Ino, for example, had fought with her very best friend for years over a boy she just sort of liked, just to get her friend's attention. Well, also for revenge, but that was a Yamanaka for you, or so he understood it. He knew he was in for a bumpy ride, but he was sort of excited for it, something he wasn't used to feeling.

After thinking about it for a while, he decided that it was uncharacteristic for him to go through so much trouble without any clear goal in mind, and that hormones were to blame. What did he want from Ino, he wondered as he lay back on the blanket and watched the clouds. He wasn't used to wanting things.

"Sorry I'm late!" he heard her chime, and he sat up, watching her bound up the hillside. Her hair was hanging in golden sheets around her, one of the few times he had ever seen it down.

"Hey," he replied as she plopped down on the blanket next to him.

She cocked her head, eyes wary. "What, aren't you glad to see me?"

"Of course I am."

"Then why don't you seem happy?"

He studied her, his eyes following the curves revealed by her lavender camisole-style top. She didn't seem too upset with him, which was a good sign. Maybe she had decided to take the high road? "Have I ever seemed happy?"

"Come to think of it, not often," she agreed. "The last time I saw you really smile was at the festival when we were sixteen."

"That was the worst night of my life," he grumbled without thinking, wincing as he saw flames rise in her eyes.

"What do you mean? I thought we had a great time! I primped for that thing for hours, and you didn't even enjoy yourself?" she said, voice rising in pitch as she spoke.

He raised his hands in defense. "No, that's not what I meant! I just meant, well, it was the best night of my life, until your boyfriend showed up."

Her face fell, her fingers plucking at the grass next to the blanket. "Oh, right," she murmured.

He waited until he caught her gaze before speaking again. "That was my first kiss."

Blue eyes widened as she stared at him. "I was your first kiss?"

"Yeah. I've been comparing every single kiss to the way that one made me feel ever since."

She blushed. "Well, it's not like I wanted to leave you standing there…" she mumbled.

Sighing, he sat up and poured her a glass of wine. "Listen, I think there are some things we need to get straightened out. A lot has happened to us and between us over the years."

"It's not too much trouble to talk about it?" she said, an edge to her voice.

"See, that proves my point. You're bitter about something, and I want to know what it is."

"I could say the same for you."

He waited, but she didn't volunteer any more information, instead staring into her wine as she swirled it around in her glass. Pushing a plate of bread toward her, he watched as she ate, but still she said nothing. Was he going to have to do all the work? "I'm bitter because I always wanted you to look at me the way you looked at Sasuke, but instead you just kept looking at other people. I figured that you'd never see me as anything but your punching bag, so I moved on. I wasn't what you wanted. I wasn't handsome, talented, or strong enough for you, and so when I found someone who did like me, I took advantage of the situation."

If he was expecting her to say something, he was sorely disappointed, for she simply dug in to the food he had brought. Sighing, he joined her, slowly chewing as he watched the sun go down. He was starting to think he made a mistake, telling her what he had pent up inside of him for so long, and he was about to pack up their supper when he felt her hand on his. "Shikamaru, I was always waiting for you to notice me, too," she murmured. "I didn't know what to do when you didn't seem to care about me, so I tried to make you jealous and finally just tried to forget about you."

Shikamaru nodded, relieved that he had advance warning from his friends, otherwise he would have been hurt and shocked hearing it from Ino. It was the first time he actually approved of Sakura's meddling. "It was all just miscommunication," he muttered.

"So many wasted years," she sighed, holding his hand a little tighter.

He pulled her close to his side and tentatively put his arm around her shoulder, mulling her statement over as they watched the sun go down. The stars came out, the sounds of crickets rising from the grass around them, and a gentle breeze stirred Ino's hair. "How do you feel about me now?" he whispered, almost afraid to know the answer.

"I don't know," she said with a bitter laugh. "I used to have the biggest crush on you. You hurt me badly, though, going with Temari. I don't want to forgive you, but you're one of my best friends. I feel like you understand me, even when I don't understand myself. I admire you and respect you, which isn't something I can say about most people, and I'm proud of the shinobi you've become. I think you're very handsome, but I just don't know what to do."

He blushed, surprised by her outpouring of emotion. Handsome was also not a word he would have used to describe himself. "Okay," he said under his breath.

"How about you?" she asked, fixing him with sparkling eyes.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on," he breathed, gaze distant as his brain summoned forth impure images. "You're smart, confident, and talented. You understand why I like the things I like, and while I wish you wouldn't beat on me or yell at me so much, I can see why I would frustrate you."

Ino broke into laugher, her slender frame shaking with mirth beneath his arm. "Shikamaru!" she gasped between guffaws.

"What? What did I say?" he asked, annoyed.

"I only beat on you or yell at you so you'll pay attention to me. It actually has very little to do with what you say or how you act. It's because I'm frustrated with you for other reasons, not because you annoy me, although sometimes you do."

"So you don't hate me," he growled. "Well, there's the source of our problem right there. How about this: you treat me like you like me, and I'll treat you like I like you."

"Sounds good to me," she grinned, then let her expression fade a little, gripping his hand tightly. "So, is this it, or do you think you're going to want to see me again?"

"Oh, I want to see you again," he drawled without thinking, and he was startled as she slipped out from underneath his arm.

"Do you want to see me like this?" she asked, lowering him to the ground and cuddling against his side, her fingers dancing over his chest.

"Yeah," he replied, his voice almost a moan. Turning to the side, he pulled her even closer and inclined his head, kissing her. It was her turn to moan as she leaned into him, her free hand reaching up and cupping his jaw. He felt his body temperature rise as euphoria set in. He had dreamed about this moment for so long, and now that it was finally reality it was even better than he thought it would be. Ino fit into his arms perfectly; there was none of the jostling and readjusting that he had experienced with Temari. Ino's slender length was pressed all along his body, and her skin was unbelievably soft where he stroked her muscular arm with his thumb. He wanted more of her taste, and just as he moved to deepen the kiss felt a sharp pain on the top of his scalp. "Ow!" he growled, releasing Ino and swatting at his head.

Ino grinned. "You have a visitor," she giggled.

He snarled and swung at the brown bird fluttering around him, extremely annoyed that his perfect moment had been ruined. Glancing back at Ino, his heart skipped a beat as he saw her golden hair spread out all around her in the starlight, her lips dark from kissing. She was stunning.

Another yelp escaped him as the bird pecked his head again, and he finally snatched it out of midair, fully intending to strangle it until he noticed the note tied to his leg. "Great," he grumbled, releasing the strip of paper and reading it over as the bird flew away. "I have to go," he said, standing.

"Right now?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing.

He pocketed the note. "I'm afraid so. Would you mind taking this stuff back to Chouji's? And thank them for me?"

"And for me, too. Do you know how long you'll be gone?" she asked, arms wrapping around herself as if she was cold.

"No, I don't even know what I'll be doing yet," he admitted, pulling her up to standing as well. "But I promise I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Be safe," she murmured against his chest. "I don't know what I would do, if I lost you just when I finally have you."

"You won't," he said firmly, and meant it. He kissed her one last time, not wanting to leave her and savoring her warmth and flavor. "I'll be back," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead for good measure, and disappeared into the night.


	33. Chapter 33 Mobilizing

A/N: Well, this chapter is a bit "filler"-ish. I didn't want to start the heavy stuff until next week, so you get a bit of team-dynamic building for Shikamaru instead. I hope you all don't mind, and I hope you enjoy the interaction between the characters and perhaps even gain some insight. You're always welcome to let me know what you think, either via review or email.

Also, I'm trying out this whole C2 thing. I'm collecting stories about Shikamaru. So far most of them are romantic, because people that write him seem to like to mess with his love life (and I'm no exception). If anyone has a good story they'd like to recommend, email me with details, and if you'd even like to subscribe, that would be awesome. I can't get the danged C2 thing to show up in the Naruto C2 list, though, so you'll have to find it here: www dot fanfiction dot net slash c2 slash 7319 slash 0 slash 1. There's also a link on my profile page.

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Shikamaru looked down at the mission scroll in his hand, his fingers tightening around the hard leather case. The Hokage wasn't messing around. What he didn't understand was why she picked him. Hunting down Akatsuki members was something for those more powerful than he, such as Naruto or Neji . Still, it was him that held the scroll, and his team that had to complete the mission. 

"Listen up," he said to his team, all three pairs of eyes on him. "Our objective is to capture a member of the Akatsuki . From what I understand, this guy is a junior in the organization, but all that means is he's an S-class criminal, just like the rest of them. It's rumored that he works solo, which is why he's the target. Get him, get back. Got it?"

His team nodded, and he wished that he knew more details. He didn't, though, and there wasn't anyone else to turn to. Naruto's team was out on a mission, as were Shino's and Neji's. "Shikamaru?" he heard someone ask, and he looked up from the scroll.

"Yeah?"

"Are we going to need anything in particular for this mission?" Lee asked.

"A small army might be nice," Shikamaru drawled.

"Seriously," TenTen said with a frown.

He shook his head. "No. If we can't capture the target, we'll flee. No reason to die on this one. It's just information we're after."

"So this isn't a paid mission?" she asked.

"Not really. This is a special dispatch. We'll get paid something, though." Silence fell upon the group as TenTen pulled on her flak jacket, the fabric clanking as she jostled it. She had a small frown on her face, and he knew she didn't like it. TenTen and Neji had been squirreling away money to buy their own place. It was only a matter of time before Hinata was ready to fight her father for the right to act as the head of the clan, and she had promised the couple a place to live and high status in the clan, but Shikamaru knew that Neji had sworn never to live under the same roof as Naruto for the simple reason that Neji couldn't stand Naruto's constant chatter.

"Shikamaru?" a soft voice asked, and he met Hinata's pale gaze. "Are they after Naruto again?"

He sighed, scratching his temple. "Probably. Isn't someone always after him? Outsiders can hardly stand it that they don't have his power under their control."

"I suppose," she murmured.

"It's okay," Lee said, adjusting his kunai holder. "It doesn't matter that it's night, and we must be dashing through the dark instead of at home with our loved ones, because we are ninja and must serve our country and protect our friends!"

"Lee," TenTen groaned, shaking her head and covering her eyes with her hand.

Shikamaru's eye twitched as he looked at the second Proud Green Beast of Konoha. "Troublesome," he muttered.

A few moments later they had picked up their rations and were on their way through the trees. His companions traveled silently behind him, the only sound accompanying them being the wind through the leaves. He saw each of his teammates glancing behind them at one point in time or another. It wasn't difficult for him to imagine what they were thinking. They all had people they loved dearly in Konoha, and the assignment they had just accepted was extremely dangerous. For once he understood how they felt. He wasn't sure where things stood with Ino, but he knew that he wanted her to kiss him again. He wanted to know if there was a chance.

Morning came, and they came to a stop for a while to eat a light breakfast. They talked quietly amongst themselves, even Lee a bit reserved in his behavior. "Neji told me that Tsunade's talking about retiring in a few years," TenTen said.

Hinata nodded. "She told Naruto that if he can demonstrate a thousand techniques to the elders by the end of next year, she'll start training him. Of course, he still sees Jiraiya."

"I always knew he could do it," Lee murmured. "He has a heart of fire."

"He does," Hinata agreed, a blush staining her cheeks. "So when are you and Sakura going to get married?"

Lee grinned, his cheeks turning an even deeper color than hers. "Well, I haven't asked yet. There just never seems to be a good time."

"You dumbass," TenTen sighed. "You have to make the time. Sakura's the best medical-nin in Konoha and you expect her to just magically have oodles of time?"

"You'll have to have everything planned out in advance," Hinata agreed.

"Not like Neji," TenTen groaned.

"I haven't heard this story," Lee said, and Shikamaru shook his head as he packed up their gear. They really should be moving on, but he didn't have it in him to deny them their conversation. After all, they had to cement their memories of their loved ones in their hearts, for there might never be another time to remember the sweet moments of their lives.

"Poor Neji-nii-san," Hinata chuckled softly. "He told me later that he really hadn't meant for it to happen that way. He was going to ask you someday anyway, really he was. I think he wanted to ask you near the river at sunset."

"You always did like the water," Lee commented.

TenTen moaned and shook her head. "Well, we ended up in the water anyway."

"What happened?" Lee asked, and Shikamaru sighed. He had heard the story already from Hinata, although from Neji's point of view.

"So we were training, shortly after he was promoted to ANBU," TenTen began. "It was in the evening, and I was working on a new jutsu with some kunai. We were just practicing like we always have, with me throwing things at him and him doing Kaiten like crazy. However, I had started to infuse my weapons with chakra through my new technique, and I wanted to see how it worked."

"I love this part," Hinata giggled, hands clasped.

TenTen sighed. "Anyhow, I was really getting tired of my techniques not working against him, so I channeled everything I had into my jutsu and let it fly."

"And it hit him!" Hinata squealed.

"I'm telling the story!" TenTen said sharply, cheeks flushed. "Yeah, the kunai hit him right on the forehead protector, so hard that it knocked him into the stream we were training by."

"You knocked down Neji?" Lee gasped, eyes wide. Shikamaru hadn't thought his strangely-shaped eyes could get any wider, but there they were, the size of saucers.

"Yeah," TenTen murmured, smiling. "I ran over to see if he was okay, and he was just lying in the water, grinning like crazy. I asked him if he was hurt, but he just shook his head. I extended my hand, and he took it, and I was helping him out when he started to laugh. He laughed so hard that he slipped on a rock, but he didn't let go of my hand."

"And they both fell into the stream!" Hinata said.

"Anyway," TenTen continued, sending Hinata an exasperated glare, "We both fell into the stream. I wasn't happy about being wet, and so I scrambled out and stood on the bank while he followed me. Before I knew what was going on, he was grabbing me and looking me in the eye, begging me to marry him."

"He told me that he had loved TenTen for a very long time, but he knew at that moment that he couldn't wait one more second to have such a talented ninja as his wife," Hinata added.

TenTen blushed. "He was all scary and intense, and I think I might have pulled a knife on him. Eventually I calmed down and accepted."

Lee's eyes were sparkling, and Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, that's a wonderful story!" Lee burbled. "How romantic!"

"How is almost getting stabbed romantic?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm so sorry you had to be married in secret. It was a wonderful ceremony, though," Lee sighed.

"It's not so secret now that they've moved out of the compound and into their apartment," Shikamaru grumbled.

"Oh, I think it's nice," Hinata said.

TenTen's gaze was fixed at a point far in the distance, her voice soft as she spoke. "That was the first time he ever kissed me," she murmured, "right after I accepted his proposal. He'd never done more than put his arm around me before, and that happened only when he thought I was cold. He said that I had become a ninja he could respect, and that means as much to me as when he told me he loved me."

Silence fell over the group, and Shikamaru vowed to bring his teammates back to Konoha alive, come hell or high water. They all sat quietly in front of him, gazes turned inward as they thought about their precious people. Shikamaru wondered if he'd ever have moments like that to treasure. "All right," he growled, breaking the peace that had settled among them. "We've dallied long enough. Move out."

It took them only moments, being the seasoned ninjas that they were, and before long they disappeared into the branches once again.


	34. Chapter 34 Engaging the enemy

A/N: Okay, that's enough filler for you. I'm pleased that nobody seemed to hate it. Or at least nobody left reviews that told me they hated it. For those of you that have been reviewing all along, I really, deeply appreciate your feedback. For those of you that have just begun reading and reviewing, I'm very happy you could join the story, and your feedback is also welcome! I'm sorry that I've given you a few cliffhangers. Well, not so sorry that I won't do it again. Still, this story does have a real ending, I promise, although you still have about 16 chapters to go. I hope you enjoy the chapter! I'm not sure the "bad guy" is as scary as I want him to be. Oh well, you guys will have to let me know.

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"There," Hinata whispered, pointing to the southwest. "He's there." 

Shikamaru squinted into the trees, even though he knew there was no way he could see the enemy through so much vegetation. "How far?" he asked.

"About 300 meters."

He glanced at his teammates, taking in their grim, attentive faces. All their eyes were on him, waiting for his words, trusting him. His stomach lurched, just as it always did on missions, but he wondered if he'd really be able to send his friends into battle this time. There was only one enemy, but they had no real information. He looked into the determined gazes of his friends and knew they would simply do their best, just as they had always done. "Okay," he muttered. "I'll go in with Lee. Hinata, I want you close to the battleground so you can watch him. TenTen, weapons ready, as always. I want you two to act as backup."

They all made various noises of assent, TenTen cinching her forehead protector. TenTen lived for battle, he noticed. She wasn't particularly aggressive, but a strange gleam came into her eye each time she went into battle. Lee, on the other hand, was calm and confident, but he wasn't addicted to the rush of battle. It was a job, and it was his duty to do it well and to the best of his ability. Hinata wanted to protect those she cared about, he knew, and also felt that it was the best way she could help Naruto. As for himself, he wasn't really sure why he fought. He did it because he had to, because he knew he was smarter than most and could keep his teams alive.

"Move out," he murmured, and they disappeared silently through the trees.

The target's name was Genda Unkei, and that was almost all he knew. The Genda family had some sort of bloodline ability involving water, but he wasn't sure what it was. The report hadn't listed it, and although Shikamaru had warned his teammates about it, it still caused him some worry. Genda was young, younger than he was, and yet was already a powerful criminal. He was apparently powerful enough to send out solo, something that the Akatsuki didn't usually do. Shikamaru wondered if the kid was even a full-fledged member, or if he was serving a different purpose for the organization. He glanced at Lee as they dropped to the ground at a run, dashing for their opponent, and wondered why this member had been targeted. Did Tsunade think because the target traveled alone that it would be easier for them to bring him in?

Shikamaru ducked behind a tree as Lee barreled in, perfectly silent as he aimed a kick for Genda's head. The ninja ducked the blow and whipped around, eyes wild, and counterattacked, but his fist sailed past Lee as he dodged. Lee's short ponytail whipped about in the air as he hit the dirt, sweeping at Genda's ankles, but again the enemy avoided it. The two separated, bodies flexed and ready as they sized each other up. Genda's eyes were a muddy blue, one corner of his eyelid twitching slightly. He pushed his brown hair out of the way and tucked it behind his forehead protector, his finger lingering over where the groove ran over the Mist symbol. Pulling the edges of his Akatsuki cape closed, he glared at Lee. "And why are Leaf ninja after me?" he asked, voice rough.

Lee simply stared back, round, black eyes never leaving Genda's face. "To fight you is our objective. Here we are. So far, so good," he replied.

Genda's eyes narrowed. "Fighting you is my objective as well. That taking orders garbage is exactly why I went missing."

Shikamaru liked to get things over with quickly. The sooner situations were dealt with, the sooner he could get home, and there were also fewer chances for people to get hurt. Sending out his Shadow Bind, he easily caught Genda and began to move forward, the ninja looking startled as his body moved without his input. "And so now you're an Akatsuki flunky. Oh yeah, you've moved up in the world."

Much to his chagrin, Genda didn't even look the slightest bit worried. "There's a reason that the Mist hasn't re-captured me," he said quietly.

"Yeah, yeah, your bloodline ability," Shikamaru sighed. "We know about it. That's why we're going to end this quickly."

"You might be surprised," Genda hissed, and Shikamaru went straight for the kill, shadowy hands moving up the young man's body and grasping at his throat. A smirk crossed the missing-nin's face, causing Shikamaru to hasten his technique. The enemy's face twitched, eyes bulging a bit as the shadowy fingers tightened, but his smirk merely turned into a grin. It was incredibly irritating.

Shikamaru was scowling with all his might when he felt himself shiver. Was there a chill wind blowing? He looked about, but nothing seemed changed. His skin contracted, goosebumps appearing as he began to tremble with cold. "Are you okay?" Lee asked, still circling Genda.

"Just cold," he replied. Dammit, why was the ninja taking so long to die? "Kai!" Shikamaru shouted, forming the seal with his left hand. Sure enough, the trappings of reality fell away from him to reveal the truth: he was merely holding a chunk of ice in his Shadow Bind. He immediately released the jutsu, looking around as he shuddered with cold. Lee didn't seem to be affected at all by the temperature.

"Where did he go?" Lee asked, looking around the clearing.

"Right here," Genda whispered, and sent a powerful punch into Lee's kidney. He saw Lee wince as the Leaf-nin replied with a roundhouse, forcing Genda to stagger back as he blocked the kick with a forearm.

Shikamaru was starting to shake uncontrollably. It was becoming more difficult to concentrate on what was going on. Was it another genjutsu? "Hurry up," he shouted to his teammate, and Lee merely nodded, scowling as he narrowly avoided another blow by the Mist-nin.

"I'm getting tired of you," Genda snarled, lashing out with a kunai.

"That's my cue, then," Lee replied, reaching down and releasing his leg weights in mid-stride. Shikamaru smirked as Genda's eyes widened in surprise. Lee blurred out of existence and reappeared behind Genda, thrusting his palm at the back of the target's head. Genda grunted and lurched forward, landing in the dirt. Pulling out his own kunai, Lee twirled it around his finger, lowering into a crouch and readying the weapon. Before Genda could move, Lee was on him with his unbelievable speed. Shikamaru couldn't even see Lee as he battered Genda, the target's body seeming as if it was jerking around in mid-air of his own accord. Through his shivering, Shikamaru gasped as he saw Genda's eyes widen as the young man grinned. Lee leapt away with a yell, cradling his hand. Shikamaru could see the limb was blue, ice crystals covering its surface. Suddenly everything made sense; the cold that was causing his shivering, and Lee's icy forearm, was part of the bloodline limit Genda possessed.

"Get away from him!" Shikamaru shouted, doubled over with cold. He couldn't even move his body, and he hoped TenTen and Hinata were well away from the battle, but still watching in case they were needed. The thought of them coming into the situation unawares made him shiver worse than the cold seeping slowly through his blood.

Lee's eyes blazed. "I can't be beaten," he told Genda, teeth clenched. "I have the most talented kunoichi of all time waiting for me at home. I cannot disappoint her."

"Whatever," Genda snarled, wiping blood away from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. His dull brown hair was waving in his eyes, but Genda didn't seem to notice it, merely smiling again.

Lee grunted with pain, and suddenly his other arm was encased in an icy covering. "He doesn't even have to touch you!" Shikamaru shouted, the situation rapidly deteriorating. If only he could get warm enough to think straight. He could come up with a strategy if he wasn't so damn cold.

A shout rang throughout the clearing, Genda's smirk dropping off of his face as he lowered his body and raised his kunai. Lee's body glowed with red light, his skin changing color as bits of turf broke away from the ground around him. The corner of Shikamaru's mouth curved upward as the icy coating on Lee's limbs shattered, a thousand ice crystals hanging in the air around him. No one in Konoha thought Shikamaru's team was particularly spectacular, especially not compared to Naruto's and Neji's teams, but he knew differently. Lee could open all of the Gates, Hinata could see chakra, and TenTen was unrivaled in her mastery of weapons. "Five," Lee called out, and Shikamaru's face set in a grim expression. That was far too many Gates for Lee to be opening, but it was too late now. Lee was past the Limit Gate. Genda vomited blood as Lee punched him in the stomach. Only Lee's aura could be seen as he dashed around the clearing, pummeling the enemy. Shikamaru counted the seconds, trying to keep his eyes open. He was so cold, and so tired…

Suddenly a voice was at his ear, his consciousness rising towards warmth against his skin. "It's chakra, it's chakra-created ice," Hinata whispered to him.

"You should be still hiding," he moaned, his muscles screaming as they began to warm up. Chakra glowed beneath Hinata's palms.

"You were going to die," she replied, white eyes hard. "I won't let you die."

He snorted. "Nothing I can do about it now. Getting upset would be way too much trouble."

Hinata smiled. "Glad you're feeling better."

Shikamaru nodded, rubbing his burning arms. He had always loathed the feeling of warming up after being outside all day in the cold, even when he was a kid, and his entire body felt like that at the moment. Opening his mouth, he was about to ask her where TenTen was when Hinata's expression grew tense and pained. He whipped his head around to see Lee skidding across the ground, hair standing on end. Both his legs were encased in ice. Genda howled and jumped across the clearing, coming down on Lee's legs and shattering the ice. Lee screamed, immediately dropping out of the open Gate status, and clenched his teeth, breathing quickly.

"Dammit," Shikamaru said, and prepared to attack, shuriken drawn as Genda circled around for another attack. Lee gurgled as his arm was enveloped by frost and was again brutally broken by Genda's blow. Genda moved forward, going for Lee's head, when suddenly projectiles rained down upon him. He hissed and jumped backward, the ground in front of him covered by metal.

"Back away," TenTen growled, dropping from the trees. "Touch him again and you're dead."

"Think so?" Genda sneered. "Too bad you're so set on protecting him. You're not bad-looking. I'd take you home."

"Sorry, I'm married," she snapped and moved in. Genda managed to dodge the first swipe, but the blade TenTen had concealed against her forearm lashed out and sliced through the fabric of his tunic, laying open the skin on his chest.

Genda's eyes widened. "Bitch," he snarled, lunging forward. She responded in kind, vaulting over his head at the last minute and producing a kunai. Bringing down the knife, she cut toward his shoulder, only to have the blade ricochet off of him. Leaping backward, TenTen crouched, eyes focused on her opponent. "Ice armor, you see," he explained, and Shikamaru filed away the information. What else could the Mist-nin do with ice?

"It's not going to save you," TenTen smirked, throwing a few shuriken his way.

Genda dodged, retreating, and yelped as he was tangled in wire. Shikamaru had seen TenTen stretch it as they fought, admiring her skill. Of course, he wouldn't have noticed it, had he not known what to look for. "Go to Lee," he ordered Hinata.

"You're not healed yet."

"I'm fine. He's worse off."

Hinata nodded her head and dashed away, appearing at Lee's side a moment later and dragging him off to the edge of the trees. Shikamaru took a breath, his limbs still burning, and took off toward Genda at a run. He avoided TenTen's lines, backing her up as she darted in to cut the enemy. Shikamaru was worried; Genda so far hadn't shown any real outstanding ability, aside from the ice thing. What else could he do that would merit his entrance into the Akatsuki? His hand-to-hand skills were lacking, and TenTen seemed to be having a field day.

Genda narrowed his eyes, and suddenly all the lines in the clearing were covered with a coating of frost. Moving a bleeding wrist, he flicked one of the wires and smiled as they shattered, so cold they had become brittle. Shikamaru paled; just what sort of temperatures was this guy capable of generating? He knew all about the makeup of TenTen's wire, and only temperatures well below zero could make the wire so fragile. "Move!" he told TenTen, but she wasn't fast enough. Particles from the air suddenly gathered in Genda's hand, and he lashed out at her, piercing her shoulder. "Dammit," Shikamaru cried, grabbing her as her knees buckled.

"Switch," Hinata shouted, passing him as he retreated and tossing him a roll of bandages. He dragged TenTen over towards Lee, who was out cold, his limbs splinted. He quickly wrapped TenTen's wound.

"It's nothing," she snarled, trying to push past him.

"Sit down," he snapped. "We're not screwing around here. I'm going to back up Hinata and see if I can get him from behind. If we need a distraction it's going to be up to you to provide it. You still have one good arm, so we need to make sure nothing happens to it."

TenTen's eyes were hard, but she nodded. "Hurry up, then. It'd be so much easier if we could just kill this guy."

"I know," he replied, and whirled around to see Hinata engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Genda. She hadn't taken any blows, but Genda was smiling.

"Is that all you got, girlie?" he sneered, muddy eyes full of glee. "Your blows barely feel like anything at all!"

Shikamaru smirked as he flanked Genda, getting in position. Hinata smiled as well, narrowing her eyes as she began striking his vital points. Genda grunted, trying to back away from her needle-like blows, but Shikamaru was ready for him, catching him in a Shadow Bind. Genda's body quivered with tension as Shikamaru stood still, letting Hinata use the Mist-nin as a punching bag. "How goes it?"

"Almost sealed," she replied, then collapsed into a heap, her eyes rolled back in her head.

Shikamaru stared as she crumpled, shocked. What had happened? A movement caught his eye and he saw TenTen standing, releasing another barrage of missiles at Genda. "What did you do?" Shikamaru demanded, tightening down his Shadow Bind.

"Boiled her brain," he chuckled. "Instant heat stroke."

Shikamaru stood perfectly still as a kunai sped toward Genda's head, cursing inwardly as the weapon clattered away, useless. Genda's face and forehead protector sparkled with ice. TenTen gasped, then she also slumped to the ground, falling partially across Lee's ruined body. "Dammit," he growled. His brain raced as he tried to understand what was driving Genda's power. It didn't matter; he had to do something fast, before his team was doomed.

"That white-eyed bitch sealed most of my chakra away," Genda snarled. "I'll have to make this quick."

"That's my line," Shikamaru said, and performed a series of seals, suddenly fading away into his own shadow. He reappeared in Genda's shadow, his semi-transparent hands gripping the Akatsuki member's wrist and pulling him downward. Genda didn't have time to struggle as Shikamaru whisked them through the shadow world, dropping the young man out of the shadow at the bottom of a branch high up in the trees. Genda shouted as he plummeted the hundred feet to the ground, and Shikamaru was sure he heard snapping of a human limb. Quickly following Genda's descent, Shikamaru was about to attack from the shadows at the base of the tree when he saw a frightening thing: Genda was floating atop a cushion of water, the leaves and grass around him dry as tinder. Shikamaru ground his teeth and lunged forward, his shadow form melting into the dappled patterns the leaves cast upon the ground, and plunged his hand through Genda's chest. He released the seal, becoming solid, when Genda's body burst into droplets of water. It was a clone! Spinning around, Shikamaru prepared to deal a lethal blow when he suddenly stopped short, his body coated with ice.

Genda appeared from behind a tree, cradling a broken arm. "You actually damaged me," he snickered. "I really wish I could kill you."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "And what's stopping you?"

"I'm not supposed to. Orders, you know."

"Yeah, I know how that is. I thought that orders garbage was the reason you left the Mist. "

Genda sighed. "I just happen to agree with these orders. Even if I can't kill you, I still get to hurt you."

Shikamaru struggled, but his clothes were hardened with ice, stinging his skin. It was then he figured it out. Genda didn't just have dominion over ice, he actually controlled water molecules themselves. He could heat or freeze those molecules with chakra as he pleased, and since the human body was made up of so much water, he could probably even control another person solely by forcing the water molecules in their limbs to move a certain way. "Dammit," Shikamaru spat, mind racing.

"I guess I'll show you what this bloodline ability of mine can really do," Genda smirked and raised a hand. Shikamaru's hand raised as well, curled into a fist, and hit himself straight in the jaw. His head recoiled at the impact, which fortunately didn't have much momentum behind it, seeing as how his arm was the only part of him that had moved. "This is going to be fun."

Shikamaru's vision blurred, partially stunned by the blow. This was it; there was no way out. He obviously would live, since Genda was forbidden to kill him, but it wasn't likely to be a pleasant experience. He settled his mind to shy away from the pain, wondering what would become of his friends.

Genda didn't give him much time to worry about it, immediately moving in and doing the dirty work himself, pummeling, boiling, and freezing Shikamaru as he saw fit. The last thought Shikamaru had before he blacked out was that it had been the most painful day in his entire life, and then the merciful darkness of oblivion claimed him.


	35. Chapter 35 Almost losing hold

A/N:  Well, I'm happy some of you think that I'm doing better with the fight scenes.  Several of you think that Genda's way too overpowered.  You're absolutely right!  I wanted it to be that way, for several reasons.  They're long, so if you want to read my reasons, they're at the end of the chapter.  Hope you enjoy, thanks for the comments for last chapter, and if you feel like leaving more comments after you read this, they're more than welcome.

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Shikamaru awoke abruptly, gasping for air. Gagging, he spit out a blood clot, trying to breathe past the blood in his nose. His left eye was too swollen to open, and he couldn't find the strength to turn his head. All he could see was the dirt and grass at the base of the tree roots he was flung across. Dappled sunlight fell across his still form, and he choked as he tried to swallow. His breathing was shallow, and he could feel so many broken bones and torn muscles that his brain shut down when he tried to take an inventory of what was damaged. Genda had told him that he wouldn't kill him, but Shikamaru felt so battered that he knew he wouldn't live much longer. Something inside him had burst; he could feel the heat and swelling as his abdomen pressed against the dirt. 

His heartbeat slowed a bit, at least enough that he could finally hear the wind over the internal processes of his body. His blood had been pounding in his ears for a while. The grass waved gently in the breeze from what he could see with his one good eye, and once again he choked on his own blood. Damn it, he wouldn't live long at all if he couldn't draw a breath.

Trembling, he managed to reach one arm out in front of him and dig his fingers into the grass, slowly pulling himself forward. The grass beneath him was warm with his own blood, and as he pulled he could feel muscle fibers snapping, pain shooting up his spine. Collapsing into the grass, he gasped for air, spitting blood. He wished he could see the sky. If he could just see the sky he would feel better. If he lived long enough, maybe he'd see the stars again.

A lump rose in his throat. He wanted to see the stars, and he wanted to see them with Ino. He wanted to hear her talk about the meanings of flowers, or what she encountered when she entered someone else's mind. Damn it, he had just found her, why did he have to be taken away? "Ino," he croaked. "Sorry."

He must have blacked out, for when he woke up again, it was night. No shadows were cast, however. That meant clouds. It also meant he was still alive. Genda was out there somewhere, watching, he knew it. Perhaps Hinata and the others were still alive as well? He clenched his teeth, sick at the thought his friends might be lying somewhere, injured or worse, all because he couldn't some up with something in time. He had doomed them all, rushing in like he had. He had a plan, but he hadn't counted on such a freakish power. He should have, of course, since Genda was an Akatsuki member, and the fact that he was strong enough to work alone should have tipped him off, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

The world around him blurred, and he realized his body didn't hurt so much. A moment later he couldn't move most of it, only blink his good eye and sometimes draw a breath. His mind felt sluggish, and he realized he was tired, so tired. He wanted to close his eyes and rest. "Ino," he murmured, and slipped away once more.

Was it the third day? The grass around him was crusted with blood. He was cold. Genda probably was slowing his bodily processes to keep him alive longer. Only the cold was keeping him living, he realized. Were the others still alive, kept in semi-stasis by the Mist-nin? "I know you're there, Genda," he muttered, but his words were unintelligible, even to himself. He hurt, he hurt so badly. Would it never end? It was too much trouble to live anymore. Consciousness was fleeting….

When he awoke again it was just after dawn, just like the days before. He was beyond hunger and thirst, simply a breathing lump of flesh, waiting to be released. Images of his friends danced before his eyes. He remembered walking past Naruto and Hinata on a park bench, heads pressed together as they whispered to one another, cheeks pink and holding hands. Naruto had turned his head and stolen a kiss from Hinata, who had giggled and covered her mouth with her free hand. It had been nighttime, with fireflies.

He had met with TenTen and Neji in the cafeteria once, joining them for lunch as they talked spiritedly about techniques, their eyes sparkling as they engaged one another in quick, sharp conversation. The words were biting, in his opinion, but the couple didn't seem to notice. In fact, they barely even noticed him when he left.

He had run across Lee and Sakura on the street a few months back, Lee buying Sakura ice cream at a roadside stand. She had a dollop of ice cream on her nose, and Lee had tenderly reached out and wiped it off. Sakura had traced his cheek and grinned up at him, which made Lee blush like a schoolgirl. He had mumbled something beneath his breath, which made Sakura laugh, her shining face matching the sparkling sound. They looked so happy.

Asuma had been happy, too. Shikamaru could remember joining his former teacher and Kurenai in the park one day. Of course, Shikamaru had fallen asleep during Asuma's shogi match with Kurenai, and had nearly rolled into Asuma's foul pile of sunflower seed shells upon wakening.

Finally, there was Chouji. The bliss on his friend's face as he held his wife and son was like nothing Shikamaru had ever seen. Since he was so close to death, Shikamaru was able to admit to himself that he was envious. The way Naomi looked at Chouji was incredible. Shikamaru wanted someone to look at him that way, except that it was too much trouble to try to convince a woman to do so. Was there a woman out there that didn't need convincing?

His thoughts strayed to Ino, always Ino. It seemed like his musing began and ended with her, even as his life slowly seeped out into the grass. He could remember her eyes traveling over him as they looked at the stars on a hillside when they were only thirteen, and the way she had gazed up at him before their first kiss. Her eyes, whether they be crying, enraged, joyful, or sad, were always the most beautiful things he had seen. He wished once more he could see the sky. He wanted to be reminded of Ino's eyes when he died.

A tear leaked out of his good eye, and he realized that a lot of the things he had wanted would never come to pass. No wife, no children, no nothing. Just his name carved on a stone, because he wasn't good enough. He just hoped Ino wouldn't cry. She was too beautiful, too smart to waste herself on him. He had promised her he would see her again. It bothered him to have lied to her. "I'm so sorry, Ino," he croaked, and his body shuddered in a painful sob.

"Sorry for what?" a soft voice said, and his consciousness suddenly became focused. He tried to turn his head and failed, his muscles screaming at him to be still. "Oh, you're so cold!"

"No, run," he murmured, the tears coming faster. Was he dreaming, or was she really there next to him? If she was there, she was in terrible danger. He couldn't lose the most precious thing to him, he just couldn't. "Run!"

He groaned as strong arms picked him up, cradling him like a child. The large body was warm and muscular, the hands capable as they held him. "Not without you," a deep voice said, and he looked up into the face of his best friend.

"Please," Shikamaru sobbed, unable to move a muscle. "Danger."

"We know," Ino replied, her face appearing above him. She dabbed at his face with a wet cloth. "We couldn't just leave you here."

"He's here, somewhere," Shikamaru wheezed.

Chouji lifted his head, scanning the area around him. "I don't see him. Maybe he's watching one of the others."

Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat as he felt Ino's hand slip into his. "We knew something was wrong when none of you came back. It's been four days since you were supposed to come home. We don't have authorization to be here, so we need to get back now."

"Ino," he sighed, but it was too painful to talk, too painful to warn them. His head was swimming as it was. Spots appeared in front of his eyes from blood loss, and his cracked, swollen lips moved silently.

Ino squeezed his hand, eyes brimming with tears as she looked down into his face. "Please don't die, Shikamaru," she murmured. "I couldn't take it."

"He won't die," Chouji said. "He has us to live for."

"Run," Shikamaru hissed. He could feel a chill in the air; Genda was close.

Ino pressed the back of his bloodstained hand to her cheek, squeezing her eyes tightly. "Something's coming," Chouji whispered.

"Whatever you do, protect him," she replied, voice low, and was gone from Shikamaru's vision. He heard the sound of a kunai being drawn from a pouch, and then only silence met his ears. Chouji held Shikamaru more tightly and moved behind the tree. Shikamaru wanted to scream at Chouji to go help her, but he couldn't form another word. His throat was ruined from screaming and breathing damp, hot air during his torture. Every cell of his body cried out in protest at being moved, the blackness still hovering at the edges of his vision. He couldn't die, he had to make sure his friends lived through it.

"Water," he croaked, baring his teeth as best he could when Chouji produced a canteen. Shikamaru drank gratefully, but he knew that time was of the essence. "No, uses water. In blood, in air."

Chouji stared down at him, narrow eyes examining him as the large man's mental processes worked away. "Genda, right? Uses water?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Run."

"And he managed to take you out with just that?"

"Can change," he grated.

"Shit," Chouji muttered. "Stay here." He gently set Shikamaru down, resting his tortured back against the bark. His best friend moved soundlessly between the trees, an amazing feat for someone his size. Shikamaru panted against the tree, eyes squeezed shut as he tried to master his pain. Moments later the noise of battle erupted, the sounds of trees being uprooted echoing through the forest. He heard Ino's battle cry, then a male scream. It seemed Ino had managed to land a blow. Suddenly he heard laughter, Genda's laughter. The sound of Genda's voice made him shudder; it was that laughter he had heard during the days he was being beaten.

"Come on, Chouji!" Genda's voice said. He couldn't believe it- Ino had managed to switch bodies with the enemy. She must have honed her skills since the last time he saw her use it. Of course, the last time he saw her use it was on him, and he wasn't expecting it at the time…

"Right!" Chouji answered, and there was a sickening squelch.

"Good," Ino's voice said.

"Damn you," Genda replied, and Shikamaru could guess what had happened. Gathering his remaining strength, he flopped to the side. Tree roots partially obscured his vision, but he could see Chouji's mammoth form among the trees, Ino tiny beside him. "I'm going to end this now."

"No!" screamed Shikamaru, but the word came out as a feeble moan. He sobbed and tried to claw his way forward with his less-injured arm, tearing at the dirt with his fingernails. Ino's body shuddered and fell, the movement so sudden and painful that he felt as if he had been slapped. Tears welled up in his eyes, leaking out of the corner of the one that was swollen shut. Chouji growled and immediately tripled in size, picking Ino up and tucking her under his arm. He was putting off massive amounts of heat, and Shikamaru could see that Ino's lips were blue. Chouji batted a startled Genda away, the Mist-nin's body thudding against a tree trunk, and the Leaf-nin began barreling right toward Shikamaru.

"Come on," Chouji boomed, scooping up Shikamaru as if he was a fish. He could do nothing but watch Ino's head bob in synch with Chouji's footsteps as he charged through the forest. "You guys will be fine, I promise. It's my turn to save you, and I won't fail."

"Damn straight you won't," Ino mumbled, lifting her head. Some of her color had come back. "Thank goodness you can burn the pounds just as easily as you put them on."

Shikamaru glanced up at Chouji's smile, only to feel horrified as his friend's expression turned to one of pain. A bolt of ice sailed over their heads as another embedded itself in the back of Chouji's neck. The gigantic man snarled, but didn't look back. Shikamaru's innards lurched as a hail of icy spikes rained down on his friend, but Chouji sheltered them with his massive body and not a single one touched them. "Be careful!" Ino cried, trying to work a hand seal, but her limbs were shaking still from the ice in her blood and she couldn't get her fingers to work. Shikamaru realized he was in the same boat; even if he actually had chakra to spare, his hands were so pulverized that he couldn't form any seals.

"It's fine!" Chouji insisted, but blood was soaking the fabric of his uniform. A moment later he cried out, toppling toward the earth, the ground shaking as he hit with incredible force. As he fell he twisted his body, carefully avoiding crushing his normal-sized friends. Genda jumped onto his stomach, placing a hand against him and smirking, and Shikamaru hissed as he felt the heat Genda was generating with the water in Chouji's skin.

"How's that, fatty?" Genda sneered.

"Not good enough," Chouji grunted, dropping Ino onto his chest and once more batting Genda away. Genda, however, simply executed a flip and bounded off of a nearby tree trunk. Holding up his hands, he showed them that he had turned his forearms into blades of ice.

"I knew setting bait would be enough to draw you Leaf-nin cowards out. You always travel in groups. Pitiful. I just didn't know that the crybaby here would be the first one you came for. At least the other three didn't scream when I tortured them.  Now where's the fox-boy?  He's the one I want."

Chouji tried to get up, only to be pinned to the earth as Genda's ice-blade arm grew in length and pierced his forearm. Shikmaru felt panic overtake him- Chouji would bleed to death in no time at his current size. "You can do it, Chouji!" Ino cried. "Ino-Shika-Cho, now and always!"

Shikamaru wanted to smile at her. She looked like hell, and yet her eyes were still sparkling and full of fire. Wobbling, she stood up and reached for a kunai. "Hurry, Ino," Chouji rumbled, fumbling for the ice spike with his free hand as Genda jumped out of the way.

"Sure thing," Ino replied, winking at Shikamaru. "I'm going to want some quality time after this," shetold him, and leapt forward.

He hadn't thought Ino could move so quickly, but suddenly she was behind Genda. The Akatsuki shinobi merely shook his head and whipped a hand around, touching Ino's upper arm and burning the skin. Shikamaru could smell scalded flesh from where he was nestled against Chouji, but he could do nothing about it. Ino, however, did not cry out, only clenched her jaw and moved in again. Genda dodged once more, stopping her movement with two well-placed ice spikes through her sandaled feet. Ino collapsed, sweat running down the sides of her face, and began throwing shuriken. As Genda leapt to the side, Chouji ripped the ice free of his arm and hurled it at the enemy, knocking him aside. As Genda lay on the ground, shaking his head, Chouji stood and made to stomp on the prone ninja. Shikamaru approved of the attack; if you can't beat them, squish them. Genda, however, seemed to have other plans, and drove another spike up into the sole of Chouji's foot. Chouji toppled once more, narrowly missing where Shikamaru had landed in a heap, and clutched at his foot, eyes blazing.

"Your best is never enough to defeat someone like me," Genda sighed, examining his fingertips and completely ignoring the various places he was cut. "Now, if only my target would show up. I thought for sure he would, since I nearly killed so many of his comrades. I guess you weren't important enough, shadow-user. You only attracted this trash."

"Then how about this?" a new voice said, and Naruto appeared out of nowhere, blue eyes blazing. Shikamaru's eye opened wide as Uzumaki moved, the speed rivaling Lee's. Genda gasped and tried to counter, but before anyone could draw another breath, they were gone. A swatch of felled trees marked the path of their battle. Shikamaru wished he could see it; he wanted to see Genda's ass beaten into the ground after what the shinobi had done to his team.

"You all look like hell," a cold voice said, and Shikamaru laboriously turned his head to see Neji standing there, supporting TenTen. Neji also had wounds down one side of his body; blood was dripping off of the ends of his fingers and saturated the fabric covering his left shoulder. TenTen was nearly unconscious, leaning against her husband, and Neji's grip on her was tight and full of anxiety.

"You don't look so hot, either," Ino snapped.

A look of dismay crossed Neji's face. "I don't suppose any of us do," he mumbled, pressing his cheek against TenTen's head. The kunoichi half-smiled as her eyes tried to roll back into her head. "After all, we almost lost loved ones."

"Damn straight," Ino growled.

"Ino-pig!" Sakura cried, shuffling into view. Her leg was in a splint and she was dragging a makeshift litter with Lee's unconscious body in it.

"Forehead!" Ino sobbed, and tottered over to her friend. The two women embraced, grinning at one another. "You picked up your worthless boyfriend!"

"And you picked up yours!" Sakura grinned.

"Hey," Shikamaru moaned. "I'm not Ino's-"

"Shut up," Ino barked, glaring at him. "Where would they be without us?" The two women laughed, the sound chilling Shikamaru's bones.

"Hinata?" he croaked.

Sakura's face turned grave, and she glanced at Neji. The young man turned his face away, his eyes sad. Ino put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Is she okay?"

"She's alive," Sakura muttered. "I wasn't strong enough to carry her here. I used up most of my chakra making sure she would live through the next few hours. That Akatsuki bastard really did a number on her."

"He knew she was important to Naruto," Neji grated, and TenTen squeezed his uninjured shoulder.

Sakura's face hardened. "Naruto's enraged. Tsunade-sama said to bring Genda back alive, but I wouldn't blame Naruto if there was an accident."

Ino nodded her head as she bandaged her wounds. "I'm sorry. Do you think Lee will be all right?"

"I think so," Sakura sighed. "I pray so. I don't know what I would do without his fearless smile. Sometimes it makes me feel like his hope is the only safe thing in this world we live in."

Everyone bowed their heads, and Sakura hobbled over to Chouji, taking a look at his wounds. She bound his foot, then wandered over to Shikamaru. Shaking her head, she bandaged up what she could, keeping him from the brink of death. "I'm sorry. You'll have to wait."

Shikamaru did his best to nod and found himself in Ino's arms. "Thank goodness you're okay," she murmured against his neck. He wanted to pull away so he wouldn't get blood on her flawless skin, but he was too sore to move and she felt too good.

"This is okay?" he mumbled. "How troublesome."

She released him slightly and looked into his face, her blue eyes sparkling as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Shikamaru, I couldn't agree with you more," she said with a smile, and for a moment he felt like her embrace was the only medicine he would ever need.

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A/N Continued:  The reasons I overpowered Genda, so to speak, were:  to show just how out-classed Shikamaru and his team was and better make the reader understand the fear/panic they experienced (because you DID think what his team was thinking, which was "this guy is WAY too strong, this is ridiculous"), to give Genda an excuse to be on his own (he IS powerful, but in the end, he's just a punk), and to give you a sense of how strong Naruto has become without me having to write a long, drawn-out battle to tell you exactly how strong Naruto has become.  This story isn't about the batttle, and in fact, this fight only happens in order to provide the basis for something that occurs later.  I'm sorry to disappoint you by not writing that fight.  And, ultimately, it would be even more stupid if I came up with an enemy with a lame power.  Would you rather have a superpowered opponent that seemed unbeatable (a la DBZ syndrome, sorry), or would you really prefer a guy that was just sort of stronger than usual (what fun is that)?  Plus, this was the first power I came up with for a bad guy, and I thought it was pretty darned cool and scary.  Sorry if you guys don't agree.   Thanks for the feedback, and hope you enjoyed this chapter in spite of some of you disliking Genda's power.  Hope you don't mind my long-winded explanations.  I just don't want you guys to think I'm sloppy.  


	36. Chapter 36 Ready to return

A/N:  Here you go!  Sorry for not including the Genda/Naruto fight, but I'm glad that so many of you understood why I decided not to.  Please enjoy, and thanks to all of you who leave reviews!  Your support is much appreciated!

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"Do you think Naruto will come back soon?" Ino asked, supporting Sakura as she hobbled over to Neji and TenTen. Ino wasn't walking well herself, what with the stab wounds in her feet and leg, but it beat Sakura's multi-fractured leg. Sakura's skin was covered with cuts and burns, and she looked as if she had put up quite a fight. Shikamaru understood why there were rumors that she would be the next legendary kunoichi. Still, he didn't think her movements had the finesse of Ino's, but there was a good chance he biased. 

"Probably," Sakura mumbled, crouching and checking on Shikamaru. "You've got internal bleeding. If he hadn't kept you cold, you'd be dead. Don't rub off that seal, Chouji, or he's done for."

Chouji nodded, still cradling his friend. Shikamaru wasn't keen on being held like an infant, but he couldn't move or even speak, his only sign of consciousness being the mobility of his one good eye. "I won't make a mistake," the large man murmured. "Hang in there."

"He had better hang in there!" Ino declared, eyes snapping. Shikamaru wondered how she managed to get beaten half to death and still find the energy to boss everyone around. Suddenly, however, she was at his side, hands hovering over him as if she wanted nothing more than to touch him and yet was too afraid to do so. "You'll be fine," she told him softly. His eyelids were heavy, but he didn't want to stop looking at her. She was so beautiful, even covered in dirt, sweat, and blood. Ino was the only kunoichi he knew that could be covered in gore and still look like a lady.

"Of course he'll be fine," Neji said, leaning against a tree with TenTen's head in his lap. He gently stroked her hair with his good hand. "We'll all be fine. Naruto will come back, and then we'll go home."

"He sure has been gone a long time," Chouji sighed.

As if on cue, there was a rumbling of the ground, and a furrow appeared in the earth, stopping just a few meters short of them. Yelling came from the sky, and a body plunged into the soil, thoroughly pounding the end of the furrow. Clods of dirt flew through the air, Chouji quickly multi-sizing and shielding everyone with his huge body. "You've got good friends, Shikamaru," Neji said with a smile, and Chouji grinned back.

"And you guys called me fat! You're lucky I don't hold a grudge, especially since I'll be carrying you all home," he chuckled.

"We love you," TenTen said, trying to smile but barely even conscious.

"Good to hear," Chouji replied, and slowly turned around.

Naruto appeared from the ruined earth, holding Genda by the collar and shaking him. Naruto's eyes were blazing, his knuckles white where he gripped the enemy. Genda looked terrible, not a single clean patch of skin on his entire body. Parts of Naruto's clothes were torn, and he was filthy, but he looked none the worse for wear. "You're lucky I have orders to keep you alive, otherwise I'd rip out your intestines and stuff them down your throat," he snarled, shaking Genda viciously. The S-class criminal whimpered, the whites of his eyes showing. "I'm going to make you feel pain so bad you'll wish you could die. I will never let you rest, not after what you did to my people." He threw Genda on the ground, who flopped around like a rag doll. Shikamaru could see bone fragments poking out of the skin, even from the distance he was at. Naruto kicked Genda's body, sending it rolling haphazardly across the dirt. Genda's torso was completely exposed, showing that Naruto had applied at least one low-level Rasengan to it. The way Genda rolled it seemed like he was already dead, so boneless was the movement. Naruto pounced on the body, again seizing the tattered remains of Genda's jacket. Curling the fabric in his fists, he raised Genda up a few inches, then pounded him into the dirt, repeating the process as he chanted, "You…will…never…hurt…my…precious…people…again," each word accented by a blow.

Sakura hobbled over to him, eyes wary. "Naruto," she said softly, holding out a hand. The eyes that Naruto turned to her were savage and pained. Tentatively, Sakura laid her fingers on his shoulder. "It's okay. You got him. Don't kill him. If you do, we won't find out what the Akatsuki had planned."

"He hurt Hinata. He hurt you, and Neji, and all of Shikamaru's team. I should just end his miserable life, but that would let him off the hook."

Sakura gently peeled his fingers off of Genda. "He can't do anything else. It's okay. You need to go get Hinata so we can get her to a hospital."

Shikamaru watched as Naruto's face transformed from a mask of hatred to an expression of intense worry. "Hinata," he murmured, blue eyes brimming with tenderness. "Oh, Hinata."

"Go," Sakura ordered, and Naruto bounded away.

"Terrible," Ino murmured, and Shikamaru didn't know what in particular she meant. It all seemed pretty terrible to him. Then again, he was about as beaten-up as a person could get. Turning, Ino dashed back to his side. "We'll get you home soon," she whispered, gazing into his eyes. He tried to smile, but his face hurt too much.

"Naruto will catch up," Chouji decided, and, with enormous effort and the help of a soldier pill, transformed into an even bigger version of himself. He gathered up every single one of the Konoha ninja and arranged them for safe transport as if they were dolls. "So which one of you is going to treat me to dinner when we get back?" he asked, strolling off into the trees. With his incredible stride, they'd reach Konoha in no time.

"I will," everyone said at once, and laughed.

"That might be more than even I could eat," Chouji replied, and Shikamaru was glad that everyone was smiling at his friend. Chouji had such a warm, tender personality, one that so many people had ignored because of the way he looked. Now, however, Chouji was getting the attention he deserved. "All right, time to go."

Chouji had only been walking for half an hour when Naruto caught up to them. "Dammit, you go too fast!" Naruto whined, jumping up into the large man's arms.

"Sorry."

Naruto had lashed Genda's body to his back, carrying Hinata in his arms. Shikamaru could see the paths tears had made down Naruto's cheeks, and his expression was tortured as he handled Hinata. Sakura held out her arms and accepted Hinata's body, Naruto wiping his cheeks as new tears welled up. He crouched next to Hinata and kissed her tenderly on the cheek. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you," he murmured, and kissed her again. "I'm going to take Genda back ahead of you," he told the group. "I think I might have overdone it."

"No one blames you," Neji said.

"Not even Tsunade," Sakura added, voice hard. "If she wants him alive, she can heal him herself."

Naruto nodded once and took off through the trees. Shikamaru grunted with pain, the stabbing sensations in his abdomen growing worse, and suddenly Ino was holding him, looking down into his face. "Are you okay? Shikamaru?" Shikamaru couldn't answer. "Sakura!" Ino cried, but her voice was faint, and her face was becoming blurry and dark.

"Troublesome," he murmured, and was swallowed up by blackness.


	37. Chapter 37 Hospital bound

A/N:  Thanks for the great reviews! I'm really pleased that so many folks are so thoroughly entertained by this fic.  Hope that you guys aren't bored now that the big fight's over.  Thanks for forgiving me for not writing the fight- at least we can all just watch the anime or read the manga to get our fill of Naruto-brawling.  Anyhow, for those of you that don't think this story has a plot, it does actually have a main plot, it's just more a character-driven piece before a plot-driven piece.  Enough of my rambling.  Enjoy, and please review if the mood takes you.

* * *

Shikamaru opened his eyes slowly, the sound of voices bringing him out of slumber. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was mid-afternoon. Sunlight was streaming in through the room's window. Medical machinery beeped and whirred softly in the background, bringing to his attention that his body was riddled with tubing and sensors. How long had he been out? What had happened? The last thing he remembered was riding in the curve of Chouji's gigantic arm as they made their way home.

Looking across the room, he realized that the voices hadn't been his imagination. He seemed to be sharing a room with Lee, who was hooked up to almost as many machines as he was. The young man seemed to be awake, although not fully, and Sakura was leaning over him, holding his hand. Shikamaru silently and briefly cursed life as a ninja. Too many people spent hours in the hospital, waiting for word of recovery of family and friends.

The couple was speaking too low for him to hear what was being said, although he didn't really want to know anyway, but the expressions on their faces were tender, and Sakura reached out and brushed away stray strands of Lee's hair from his face more than once. Lee's lips curved up in a smile at her, his eyes shining. Sakura gave a low chuckle, then leaned down and kissed him gently.

Shikamaru looked away, embarrassed, noticing a dull ache in his chest. He liked being alone, but seeing how happy they were, how close they were, made him want the same thing. Nothing had ever made him feel like Lee and Sakura seemed to be feeling. Sure, he had really had a great time with Temari, but it wasn't magical. Not that he thought a shinobi should care about magic in a relationship. Still, seeing how happy they were made him want something similar. A ninja lead a life of danger and fear, and having someone to hold to keep those specters at bay would be welcome. Thoughts of Ino flooded his brain, and he remember the peace he felt when she had held him on the trip home, of the euphoria that kissing her brought to him. He wasn't sure what he wanted from her, or what she wanted from him. It just seemed to him like Ino could do better than boring Nara Shikamaru.

He tried to roll over onto his side so he wouldn't have to watch the cuddle-bunnies across the room from him, but the movement sent pain shooting through his ruined body and made him grunt. Sakura's head shot up, her hand tightening on Lee's for a moment. "Are you okay?" she asked, coming over to him.

"Do I look okay?" he grumbled, taking deep breaths to control the pain.

Sakura smiled. "Well, no," she replied. "But the surgery was a success."

"Surgery?"

"You had several ruptured organs. You barely made it. Ino and Chouji were here for three days, waiting to see if you'd pull through."

"Ino-Shika-Cho, eh?" he grumbled, eyeing the pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura had grown up into a rather plain-looking person, although she was fit and trim like all the women he knew. Her eyes, however, were wise, and the planes of her face spoke of the intelligent, dependable, powerful woman she had become.

"Yeah," Sakura chuckled, checking his monitors and taking a few vitals.

"We all lived," Lee called out, and Shikamaru winced as Lee gave him his "nice guy" pose, or at least a version of it, since Lee was also stuck in bed. "Hooray for the springtime of youth!"

Sakura, whose back was to Lee, grimaced, which made Shikamaru's lips curl in a half-smile. "Yes, dear," she mumbled, checking the wrapping on Shikamaru's hand. "Very nice."

"Hinata's okay? And TenTen?" Shikamaru asked, resisting the urge to grab Sakura's wrist and force her to answer.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, Hinata pulled through. Just barely, but she did. TenTen will be fine. Neji and the others, too."

"Hinata's a lot stronger than people give her credit for," Shikamaru mumbled. "Her heart never gives up."

"That's why we love her," Lee added. "And she loves us."

"Nobody loves her more than Naruto," Sakura grinned, finishing with the monitors and seating herself next to Lee once more. "He was crazy for the first few days she was unconscious. I nearly had to sedate him. Instead Kiba dragged him out of here and trained with him."

"Kiba's not in the hospital now too, is he?" Shikamaru moaned.

Lee and Sakura grinned. "No, he's pretty resilient. They managed to destroy a large part of the forest, though."

Lee's face turned grim. "Actually, part of that was your family's property."

Shikamaru groaned. "The deer. Just great. Hey, can you knock me out again? Being awake is too much trouble."

"Too much trouble to see me?" a new voice said, and Ino stuck her head through the door, a tentative smile on her face.

"Your middle name is trouble," he replied, but he couldn't keep his mouth from turning upward at the corners.

"You're such a grouch," she sighed, but her smile broadened as she pranced over to his bed, a large bouquet in her hand. She paused at the bedside table and shook her head, and he noticed for the first time that the table was covered in flowers. There were even flowers in vases on the floor and on an extra chair.

Sakura sighed and moved to help Ino rearrange things. "I told you not to bring them every day," she grumbled.

Ino gave him the loveliest smile he had ever seen. It was clean and pure, artless and genuine, and it was all for him. "I couldn't help it. I wanted him to know I was thinking about him."

"Well, you went overboard," Sakura chastised her, but the pink-haired kunoichi was smiling as she returned to Lee's side.

Ino surveyed the flowers, then nodded. "Yeah, you're definitely an iris guy," she mumbled, then sat down gently on his bed, her hand next to his but not touching.

"Um, okay," he replied. "Sorry about this."

Her clear blue eyes roved over him, and such a terrible expression of worry crossed her fact that he began to panic. Were his injuries that bad?  He had no idea what he actually looked like. "Don't be. I'm just happy you're alive."

A grunt escaped him, since it hurt too much to laugh. "Me, too."

Ino inched closer as he gazed at her, her proximity such that he could feel the heat of her skin. She looked anxious, but he couldn't figure out why. Her posture was awkward, and her eyes kept darting around as her left hand picked at imaginary lint on her trousers. "So how are you feeling? You haven't been awake more than five minutes at a time for days."

"I'm okay," he said. "I hurt. I was actually awake before?"

"Kind of," Ino muttered.

"You kept calling her name," Lee said. "She ran across town a couple of times when she heard you might be awake."

"Shut up," Ino growled.

"Shut up," Sakura echoed, scowling at her boyfriend. Lee blushed and looked away, and they both pretended like they weren't listening.

Shikamaru took a deep breath, trying not to stare at Ino. There was an awkward silence, and Sakura immediately started to chatter to Lee in the background. "Ah, so, what's new?" he asked, idly scratching at a bandage.

Ino's face crumpled. "I got reassigned."

"What? Why?"

"It's my turn to work at the assignment desk," she said, making a face. "My whole team got sucked into one duty or another. Shino got gate guard duty."

"As much as that sucks, you'll make a good administrative-nin," he replied. "You were always so organized."

Her eyes brightened. "You really think so?" she asked, and her fingers brushed against his. He felt his cheeks burning, and raised his gaze to meet hers. Her hand was warm and soft against his. Tentatively, feeling butterflies in his stomach, he moved his hand over hers and squeezed it gently.

"Yeah, I really do," he murmured. "All the teams have to go through rotation at one time or another, anyway, so you shouldn't feel bad."

"Awww, just kiss," Sakura cooed, and Ino shot her an icy glare. Holding up her hand, Sakura tried to smile. "Sorry. Honestly, though, don't be upset about it. My team had to do that, too. Naruto drew a position at the filing desk. I think you can imagine how that went."

"Ouch," Lee said.

"Yeah," Sakura replied.

"Since when were you invited into our private conversation?" Ino snapped, and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I have to go, sweetie," she said to Lee, and leaned down and kissed him. Lee's hand came up, cupping the back of her head, and held the kiss for quite some time. Shikamaru got embarrassed and looked away.

"Actually, I do, too," Ino sighed. "I'm sorry. I wanted to stay longer. I'll tell Chouji you're up, though. He'll be excited to talk to you."

"It's all right. I need sleep."

"Yes, you need to get better," she replied, and stood.

"Er, thanks for the flowers," Shikamaru told her. Ino nodded, hands clasped in front of her, reminding him of how she looked when she was twelve. Damn, he had been crazy about her for a long time. He knew that Ino hadn't gone too terribly far with any boys, however, judging from the rumors he had heard, and he didn't know where her limits lay, anyway. He couldn't afford disaster, so as much as he wanted her, he did nothing.

She grinned. "Okay, bye," she murmured, and bent towards him. His heart began to beat more quickly, and he turned his face up to her, closing his eyes, waiting for a kiss. It came, but it made his heart sink into his toes, for Ino merely leaned forward and pecked him on the forehead, disappearing before he could even open his eyes.

"Ouch," Lee repeated from the other bed, expression seeming like he was trying to be sympathetic.

"Shut up," Shikamaru growled, and rolled over to go back to sleep.


	38. Chapter 38 Being protected

A/N: Some of you may have noticed the lack of Sasuke in this fic. I haven't said much about him because I really don't know what the future holds for that boy. I can see him becoming taken over by Orochimaru, I can see him somehow breaking free, I can see any number of things. So, rather than trying to explain that and figure it out, I'm just leaving him out. Besides, he's not integral to what I'm trying to do with this story. Sorry about that. I'm just not secure enough to deal with him. And no, there won't be a sequel to this, although I'm thinking about writing a couple short (hopefully!) fics about the other characters that coincide with this fic. We'll see if I have time, though.

Anyhow, please read, enjoy, and review. See you again in a couple of days.

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Months had gone by. Shikamaru and his team had made a full recovery, although they admitted to one another they still had nightmares and couldn't deal with ice or steam well, but they all hoped that would go away as time passed. He hadn't been seeing much of Ino, only able to catch a meal with her here and there, which was most often truncated by some sort of summons. Conversation had been easier, but he hadn't dared touch her, and she hadn't made any moves, either. He was just happy their friendship was back on track, and it seemed greedy to want more from her.

Shikamaru stood in front of the assignment counter, glaring at the scroll he had been handed by a certain blonde kunoichi. He was supposed to meet his team in fifteen minutes and brief them on the mission. "Ino," he drawled.

She sat behind the counter, back straight and hands folded in front of her. "Yes?"

"I know what you're doing."

Ino cocked her head to the side, blinking up at him. "And what might that be?"

He felt beads of sweat form at his brow, but he couldn't tell if it was fear or irritation causing them. "This is the sixth C-rank assignment we've had in a row."

Again she blinked. "And?"

Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly. Damn, she was troublesome. "We're a jounin squad. This is a C-rank mission. What, is our town out of genin or something?"

"Probably."

His jaw clenched. He refused to grind his teeth in front of Ino. He refused to let her see how she got under his skin. "Fine," he growled and stormed off. He stormed right up to Tsunade's office, snarling at Shizune as she tried to interfere, and barged right in. "Do you know what's going on down there?"

Tsunade raised her eyes from the book she was examining, scowling. "What brings you here, Nara? You had better have a good reason for interrupting me."

"You're happy to get out of work and you know it," he barked, then bit his tongue and held his breath, sensing he'd gone too far.

Tsunade rose from her chair and appeared right in front of him, brown eyes narrowed. Her index finger came out and poked him squarely in the chest. "I-was-bus-y-and-you-in-ter-rup-ted-me," she grated, stabbing him at each syllable with her finger.

"Ow!" he whined, trying to evade her. "Sorry!"

She followed him around the room, fuming as she poked him as hard as she could, which was pretty damn hard. He was worried she was going to break the skin, even underneath his flak jacket. "What-is-so-im-por-tant-that-you-have-to-both-er-me?"

"Ow, hey! Stop it and I'll tell you!"

"Fine. You have thirty seconds. I'm busy today."

"Jeez," he moaned, rubbing his chest. "I'll bring you some sake later, okay?"

"Okay," Tsunade said and was suddenly all smiles. She seated herself behind her desk and rested her forearms on the surface. "So, what's bothering you?"

"Has my team been demoted?" he asked, knowing the answer, but also knowing he had to ask it if he was going to see the results he wanted.

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Of course not! Whatever made you think that? You're one of my most valuable teams."

"Then why have we been getting C-rank missions for the past several weeks?"

Tsunade's eyes widened even further, followed by the pursing of her lips. "Your team has been getting C-rank missions?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yes."

"From who?"

"Ino. I think you should reassign her team to normal duty."

She raised her eyebrow. "I see."

"So will you?"

"No."

Shikamaru moaned and ran a hand over his face. "What? Why not?"

Tsunade examined her fingernails. "She's one of the most talented administrative-nin I have ever had the honor to work with. She's increased the efficiency of that department greatly over the last few weeks, and she has even more ideas."

"Ino never lacks for ideas," he grumbled.

"You can see why she might be an asset."

"Listen," he said, leaning one hand on her desk. "You can understand where I'm coming from too, right? C-rank missions are definitely less troublesome than A-rank missions. I have no problem with that, but my team is getting restless. That's really troublesome. And being made feel like we're incompetent and can't handle a harder mission than that is troublesome."

"You did botch the last one you were on. A lot of people got in trouble because of you. Neji, Sakura, Chouji, Ino, and Naruto are all on probation because they went after you without permission."

Shikamaru fell silent. "We did the best we could. Sometimes people die. We're ninja; we're willing to take that risk."

"And not being allowed to take that risk is troublesome?"

He looked at her, gaze flat. "What's troublesome is that some hotshot, stupid jounin or chuunin is going to get the mission that was meant for my team, and those people will die, because they can't handle what our team can. You know that I am capable of getting my team out alive, if only because people care about us enough to come save our asses."

"And if I say no?"

Shikamaru put his hands on his hips. "Then why should I bother remaining a ninja?"

The room fell silent, the two of them staring at one another. Shikamaru's jaw was fixed, his hips thrust forward as he slouched while standing. Tsunade's body was tense, her fingers tightly curled where her hands lay on her desk. "Okay, Nara. I'll reassign Ino on one condition: you have to get her to ask for reassignment herself. If you can convince her to stop protecting you then I'll do what you ask. Sound reasonable?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he grumbled.

"Then off with you. Have fun on your mission."

Shikamaru paused at the door. "Thanks, Hokaga-sama," he drawled, and shut the door.

"Smartass," he heard Tsunade say through the wood, and Shizune sighed.

Shikamaru nodded at her and walked down to the cafeteria, where his team was waiting. "Bad news," he said. "C-rank."

Tenten groaned. "I thought you said you were going to fix this!" she moaned.

"I will," he replied sharply. "This is the last one, I swear."

Lee stood up abruptly, putting his fist over his heart. "We will accomplish it quickly and with the utmost perfection! No one can accomplish a C-rank mission like we can!"

"By now, certainly not," Shikamaru grumbled. "We've done enough of them."

"I believe in you," Hinata said with a quiet smile. "We should hurry. We can be done by dinner."

"Ehh, for you, anything," he replied, and gathered up his weapons. "Okay, let's go."


	39. Chapter 39 Ice cream

A/N: It bums me out, sort of, that people think that the last chapter was filler. It's my own fault, though,for including filler earlier so that people thought this was the same thing. Last chapter's events are actually part of my grand scheme, although it's a bit more subtle than I meant it to be, I guess. Not that it's actually very subtle at all, but hopefully you'll see what I mean in a couple more chapters. Turnabout is fair play, and that's all I'll say. I hope people aren't disappointed in Ino's reaction, but I figure that she's not as crazy as everybody thinks she is, and she's not about to fight against what she wants, too.

I've been getting MORE complaints that the chapters are short. This fic is finished, but I'm still only posting it three times a weeks so I have time to give each piece a final edit before I post it. Plus, I've noticed that people give better feedback when the story's broken into easily-digestible pieces. That said, please enjoy this short chapter and leave feedback if you have the time.

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The C-rank mission had gone smoothly, of course, and with four jounin working on it, it hadn't taken long at all. Shikamaru parted ways with his disgruntled team, went home, showered, and was contemplating tucking in for the night with a good book when he remembered Tsunade's stipulation to getting Ino reassigned. Sighing, he dressed and locked up his apartment, wandering over to the Yamanaka house. He knocked on the door and tried to smile when Inoshi answered. "Oh, it's you," Inoshi said. "I'll get her. Hold on just a moment."

Shikamaru waited on the stoop, looking up at the sky. The sun would be setting soon. "Hey," he heard Ino say, and he glanced down at her, nearly falling off the stoop as he did so. She wasn't wearing anything but a towel, a very short towel. Her hair was wet, rivulets of water traveling down her slender neck and into her cleavage. He suddenly found it too difficult to talk, and he felt his face becoming pink. "Are you okay? Are you choking?" she asked, reaching out to him.

He thought he was going to pass out. Didn't she realize what effect she was having on him? "Ah, no," he coughed, clearing his throat. "I mean, do you want to go for a walk? Maybe get some ice cream?"

Her head cocked to the side. "Yeah, okay. Give me a few minutes. You might as well come in."

"Ah, thanks," he muttered, taking off his shoes and stepping inside. He loved and hated the Yamanaka house; it was large, tasteful, and clean, which his parents' house was not, despite his mother's best efforts. He liked the fact that it was those three things, but he hated it because it wasn't a particularly comfortable home. He was always worried he was going to accidentallymakeeven the most tiny ofmesses and be banished forever. Wandering into the living room, he was ambushed by Ino's mother.

"Hello, dear," she said, grinning. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you," he replied. "Ino said she'd only take a minute." Ino's mother laughed, which Shikamaru understood to be a bad sign.

"Sure she will," she murmured, patting his shoulder, and disappeared into the depths of the house.

Sitting down on the couch, Shikamaru jumped when Inoshi suddenly appeared beside him. "We need to talk," Inoshi said, fixing his eyes on Shikamaru's face.

"Talk?"

"Yes. You see, I understand what it's like to be a young man, and Ino's a beautiful young woman. Certain urges are perfectly natural."

"Okaaay," Shikamaru mumbled to himself. He didn't like where this was going.

"However, unless you plan to wed her, certain things are definitely off limits," Inoshi growled, his blue eyes snapping and his teeth bared. Shikamaru started to get nervous about how the older man's hands were flexing. "I can't stop you two from doing anything, of course, but I can kill you for it afterwards."

Shikamaru decided then that he had never met anyone scarier than Mr. Yamanaka. Not even his own mother was this terrifying. "Yes, sir," he said, trying to appear attentive.

"But, if you're really set on dying, at least make sure you don't get her into trouble," Inoshi snarled, grabbing Shikamaru's hand and forcing something into it. Shikamaru paled when he saw what it was and quickly stuffed the item in question in his pocket..

"Oh, sir, we haven't, I mean, I'm not even her-"

"You're not her what?" he growled.

Shikamaru growled. "I mean, I'm not going to take advantage of her. Ino's very precious to me."

"Oh," a soft voice said, and Shikamaru looked up to see Ino standing in the doorway. Her cheeks were stained pink, and she glanced away shyly when he tried to meet her eyes. "Were you being mean to him, Daddy?"

Inoshi was suddenly all smiles, giving Shikamaru the chills. "Of course not, sweetie! I love him like my own son, which he will be forced to become if he does anything bad to you!"

Shikamaru was shuddering. "Ready to go?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah," she murmured, and lead him out of the house, Inoshi still spouting affection after Ino and veiled threats after him.

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder, skin covered in goosebumps. "You have the scariest family ever," he mumbled.

"Oh, shut up. You didn't grow up with them," Ino said with a sigh. The air between them grew silent and heavy as they walked down the streets, the sky slowly turning orange as the sun set. "Did you mean what you said, Shikamaru?"

"About what?" he asked absently, trying to come up with a scheme to get Ino to request a transfer.

"About me being precious to you!" she growled, slapping him on the shoulder.

The sting of her slap got his attention and he stopped, looking down at her. He put a hand behind his head and scratched, suddenly unable to meet her gaze. "Well, uh, yeah, why not."

"I see," she said quietly. He blinked at her. He had been expecting some sort of eruption, but instead she just looked bruised.

"No," he murmured. "Ino, you really are." Tentatively, he reached out for her hand, teasing the tips of her fingers with his own. "You really are precious to me."

His heart fluttered as she firmly took hold of his hand, squeezing. "Let's go to your sky-watching spot," she blurted, dragging him along. Sighing, he followed her, trying not to trip. It was a bit of a jog from her house, but they made it just before the sun completely disappeared below the horizon. They sat in the grass, listening to the crickets and watching the stars come out, when he realized that Ino's face was hidden by her hair and she was trembling.

"Are you cold?" he asked, wanting to put his arm around her but unsure if he should. Things had gone well the last time they were up at his spot, but he wasn't certain if that's what she wanted. Besides, he was afraid of what Inoshi would do if she told him that Shikamaru had touched her when she didn't want him to.

"No," she replied, voice husky.

His brow furrowed. "Hey, are you crying?" he asked, lifting some strands of her hair. Oh, but her hair was silky. He suddenly wanted to bury his hands in it.

"You're precious to me, too," she sobbed, throwing herself against his chest. His arms wrapped around her impulsively, his hands rubbing her back and feeling the sculpted muscle under her clothes. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me," he murmured, stroking her head.

"Yes, it will!" she cried. "You almost died on that last mission! You almost didn't make it! You don't know what it's like, seeing someone you care about so beat up. You looked terrible. Sakura told me afterward that she thought you were a goner. Sakura said that, and she'd know!"

He took a deep breath. "Is that why you've been giving my team such low-grade assignments?" he asked softly.

She pushed away from him, hiding her face as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry for being such a crybaby. A kunoichi shouldn't have these feelings."

"You're not a crybaby, Ino," he said, refusing to let her avoid him as he wrapped his arm around her. "You're a wonderful kunoichi."

Ino fixed him with her sky blue eyes, which were dark in the fading light. "There's so much unsaid between us, Shikamaru. We have so much history, and not all of it's good. I feel like we have a really hard time being honest with one another, and I don't know why that is. We're both smart people, so why is it so difficult? Why is it so hard to tell you how I feel? Why can't you show me how you feel?"

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand as he jutted out his chin. "Feh. I don't know. Maybe we don't know how we feel?"

She squirmed out from under his arm and turned to face him. "No, I know exactly how I feel. I knew it the moment I saw you on the ground, half-dead. You couldn't even move; you could barely talk. I thought I would die, and I realized that if something happened to you, I couldn't face living the rest of my life."

Shikamaru swallowed hard. He wasn't prepared for the intensity in her eyes, for the passion in her voice. What was she saying? "Fine," he sighed. "I'll tell you the truth. No more games. It's troublesome, but I agree with you. We need to have everything out on the table."

Her face brightened a bit. "And?"

"I went to see Tsunade today."

Her face fell, and he could tell that he hadn't said what she was hoping to hear. "Oh?"

"To see about getting you reassigned."

Sky-blue eyes went wide, and she started to stand. He rose as she did, catching her wrist as she turned to flee. "How could you," she choked, wrath and betrayal fighting for control of her expression. "How could you do something like that to me?"

He blocked the blow she sent his direction, using the momentum to pull her to him, his embrace serving to keep her from lashing out again. "Because you can't do this, Ino. I know you want to, but you can't protect me. It might be troublesome, it might be dangerous, it might even be deadly, but I am a ninja. You're trying to keep me from being a ninja, from doing my job, and its driving me crazy. Not all of the missions we get are noble, but you're keeping me from doing the ones that are."

"So? You won't get hurt this way."

His expression softened. "But Ino, you just told me you cared about me."

"I do," she sniffled.

"Keeping me from what I'm supposed to be doing isn't making me happy. Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Yes," she murmured.

"And I want you to be happy, too," he replied. "I know you hate that job. You try too hard at it. Tsunade doesn't want to let you go."

"Really? I'm that good?"

He chuckled. "Are you kidding? You're good at everything you do. Do you have any idea how annoying that is?"

"No," she giggled, nuzzling against his chest, her fists wrapped in his jacket.

"I'm sorry I went behind your back. I didn't know I could just talk to you about it."

She broke his embrace but kept hold of his hands. "Yeah, that was stupid. But now you know you can."

"And I will, in the future. So, will you do it? Will you ask to be reassigned?"

Her chin tilted upward as she examined the sky, exposing her long, creamy throat. "Okay, I will, but on one condition."

He raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"

She looked him in the eyes and grinned. "You have to admit that you're my boyfriend."

That sounded troublesome. Not being with Ino, however, sounded more troublesome. "Yeah, okay, I'll be your boyfriend."

Squeezing him, she snuggled against him for a moment, making him extremely happy. He didn't know why, but when Ino touched him he felt like he was flying. His whole body buzzed when she was near. "Do you know what boyfriends do for their girlfriends?" she purred, looking up at him.

His body temperature rose a few notches. "Uh, what?" he asked, voice thick.

"They buy them ice cream!" she cried, and his fantasies shattered. She seemed so happy, though, that he couldn't resist.

"Any kind you want," he said with a smile, and they walked down the hill hand-in-hand.


	40. Chapter 40 Turnabout

A/N: Sorry for not updating yesterday, but you know how the site was being upgraded... Thanks for the great reviews for last chapter! Glad you liked it. Now, hopefully, you'll see what all the business going on in the last couple of chapters was for. Shikamaru's going to learn a lesson. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, I'll try to update a third time this week, but I'm not going to make promises. If I don't update Friday, I'll upload 4 chapters next week. Enjoy!

* * *

"Ino!" Shikamaru screamed as he dashed through the halls of the hospital. He avoided other people when he could, but even if he had knocked someone down, he wouldn't have noticed it. His team had arrived from their mission at the same time as another team. One of the other team members was seriously wounded; something was mentionedabout an elaborate trap, and the kunoichi set to do the assassination had instead ended up being the target. His team hung their heads and were about to pass by all the commotion when Hinata had noticed Shino, covered in blood. They went over to him, and Shikamaru watched, numb with horror, as he watched Ino's limp, bloody body carted away by medical-nin. He sent Hinata to make the mission report and followed, chasing the medics through the hospital.

The medics carried Ino's body into a room and shut the door against him. Grunting, he began to use a shadow jutsu to break into the room when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Sakura stood by his side, eyes brimming with tears, but her face was resolute. "Don't worry. I'll save her. She's my best friend," she said, and disappeared into the room.

"Ino," Shikamaru choked, leaning his forehead against the door. It had only been two weeks since they had eaten ice cream together, and now he felt paralyzed with the possible death of his girlfriend. Even though he knew she was a kunoichi, and as such was prepared to die at any time, he felt like she was his responsibility. With crushing clarity, he finally understood why she had sent him on so many low-grade missions. What he hadn't realized was that she was also safe in that position. He was the one that had talked her into requesting that her team have their service terminated early so they could be deployed normally. It was partially his fault that she was in there, lying on that table, bleeding to death.

"I just heard," someone said behind him, and he turned a haggard face to Chouji. "I also heard Sakura's in there."

Shikamaru couldn't speak past the lump in his throat. Desperate panic permeated every cell of his body, momentarily rendering him unable to move. "I-Ino," he breathed. Turning back to the door, he pounded it with a fist, tears welling up in his eyes. "Dammit!" he growled. "I don't know what I'd do if she died. Who would I watch the sky with? Who would laugh when I get ice cream on my nose? Most girls would pretend not to notice, but she points it out herself, and she laughs. She's loud, obnoxious, and annoying. She acts stronger than she is, and she's stronger than anyone else knows. She makes me want to go do things, just to see her smile. Why?"

Chouji gripped him by the upper arms, face solemn. "You're babbling," he said sternly. "You're losing it, Shikamaru. Get back in control."

Shikamaru hiccupped, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to hide the shameful tears. "Her parents are on missions. I killed their daughter, I was the one that asked her to get reassigned."

"Shut up," Chouji ordered, looking Shikamaru straight in the eye. "This is her job. This is your job. It happens. Sakura's in there, and Tsunade's on her way. It will be fine, do you hear me?"

"I-Ino," he moaned, and Chouji sighed, suddenly crushing him in a bear hug.

"You should tell her you feel this way, when she gets better," he murmured.

"Okay," Shikamaru replied, because he didn't know what else to say.

Shikamaru sat on a bench outside the room for hours, only receiving a glance from Tsunade as she rushed into the operating room. Chouji was by his side the entire time, Naomi appearing occasionally to bring them food, although Shikamaru wouldn't eat. Hinata showed up, hugging him fiercely, and Neji and TenTen dropped by to show their support. Lee sat watch with them as well, once in a while going to find a nurse to get the status. Night fell, Shizune disappearing into the depths of the room, and Shikamaru's fragile hope slowly died.

"Ino will make it," Lee said softly, looking into Shikamaru's eyes. "Sakura would rather die than see Ino pass from this world."

"He's right," Chouji murmured, putting a warm, heavy hand on his shoulder.

"When they come out, I'll ask Hokage-sama for leave for our team. We can do service work for a while, if you need to be close by," Lee offered.

"We'll see," Shikamaru mumbled.

About eleven, Sakura came out of the room, bags under her eyes. Lee immediately went to her, hovering, but she waved him away and sat down next to Shikamaru. "She's alive," she said carefully, "But she might not ever wake up."

He let out a moan and put his head in his hands. Chouji squeezed his shoulder. "Ino's tough," he whispered.

"We're doing everything we can," Sakura explained. "She sustained multiple injuries. She has fractures, internal bleeding, and even poisoning. Her wounds are healed, mostly, but I don't know if we can restore her mind. Her coma is pretty severe."

They sat in silence, awkwardly looking away from the quietly crying shinobi, Chouji offering him a handkerchief, which he accepted. Sakura sighed, wiping away her own tears. "Let's go, love," Lee whispered. "There's nothing more you can do here." She nodded and let him put his arm around her.

"I'll be here tomorrow," Sakura said to Shikamaru, taking his hand and squeezing it. "We'll make sure she comes back to us, okay?"

Shikamaru merely nodded. "What room?"

"Tsunade-sama will tell you. She should know soon," Sakura said, and Lee escorted her out of the building.

Shikamaru stepped outside, not wanting to see Tsunade, leaving Chouji to find out the particulars. The breeze was slightly cool, the stars still in the sky. The lump rose in his throat once more, thinking about the nights before her mission, when they would lie in the grass and pick out their own constellations. They still hadn't done any messing around other than kissing of the "good-night" variety, and he found himself wishing they had. Waiting for Ino to make the first move had ended up being more troublesome than the effort of doing it himself, because now he might never get the chance. He was going to show her how much he wanted her when she woke up, that he swore to himself.

"Room eighteen," Chouji said, his large silhouette in the doorway. "Come on in."

He followed Chouji to the room, startled to see Shino there, standing outside. "I failed her," the Aburame heir intoned. "I take full responsibility."

Feeling oddly emotional, Shikamaru placed his hand on Shino's shoulder. "I've realized over the past few hours that it's nobody's fault. We're ninja. This happens."

Shino seemed to regard him from behind his sunglasses. "Very well. I will stand guard until she awakes. If you need anything, ask."

"Thanks," Chouji said for both of them, and ushered Shikamaru inside. Ino lay in the bed, very pale and still. Her usually-rosy lips were nearly white, and her face was flaccid.

"Ino," Shikamaru blubbered, kneeling beside her bed and pressing her hand against his forehead. Chouji took her other hand, eyes focused on the beeping monitors. "Please wake up."

"We just gotta believe in her, you know. Ino-Shika-Cho."

"I know," Shikamaru replied, but the cold dread would not leave his heart, nor would the weight of words left unsaid and things left undone leave his soul. "Wake up, Ino, and I promise I'll do things right."

"Does this mean you're whipped?" Chouji asked, raising an eyebrow, and Shikamaru surprised himself by grunting with amusement.

"Guess so," he mumbled. "Troublesome."


	41. Chapter 41 Game of go

A/N: Sorry about the lack of updates last week- this site and my schedule just wouldn't work out. Now that this site is up and running again, though, I'll update every day this week to catch up. Also, one of the reviewers asked me some questions, so I'm going to answer them at the bottom of the chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

He had fallen asleep by her side, his fingers entwined with hers. The coverlet was soaked with his saliva, and as he sat up he quickly wiped at his mouth, blinking at his surroundings. Yawning, he scratched his head with he free hand, heart feeling like lead as his gaze landed upon the sleeping woman before him. "Good morning, beautiful," he murmured, scooting closer to the bed and holding her hand in both of his, stroking her skin with his thumb. Tears threatened to well up in his eyes, and he squeezed them away quickly, ashamed at his vulnerability.

Hours passed, him simply watching her sleep. Her face was relaxed, and it comforted him to know she was not in pain. The absence of her shining blue eyes, however, cut him to the bone. He would give anything to see her open her eyes and smile at him. There were so many things he wanted to do with her. He wanted to lie with her in the grass, he wanted to take in festivals and music with her, he wanted to just spend time by her side. Ino, despite her loud ways, was actually very interested in intellectual pursuits, unlike Temari. Temari was about battle, heart and soul, and while he admired her more than just about anyone, he really enjoyed Ino's gentle side. If he had to deal with Ino's harpy side to get at that gentleness then so be it.

His flight of fantasy was interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open. He didn't have the energy to raise his eyes, mired in his own despair. "Here," a low voice said, and he saw a food tray thrust in front of him. "I promised Chouji that I'd make you eat."

Shikamaru glanced up to see Lee. "Hey," he mumbled, taking up a biscuit and chewing on it slowly.

Lee pulled up an extra chair, pouring Shikamaru a cup of tea. "How are you doing?"

"Badly. I hate this."

Lee, to his surprise, said nothing for quite some time, his face thoughtful. "I understand," he murmured. "Seeing people you love get hurt is very difficult. That is why we must show one another our love every day."

Shikamaru regarded Lee carefully, trying not to give in to the urge to spill his guts about his fears. If it had been Chouji he wouldn't have had a problem, but Lee was so foreign a personality, even if he was his teammate. "Where's Chouji?" he asked instead.

"His team was supposed to go out on assignment, but he refused. In fact, he raised a big stink about it. Scared the poor administrative ninja so much that she assigned the whole team to trash duty on accident. His team's not happy, but Chouji's pleased he can come back this evening to visit."

"Yeah," Shikamaru sighed. "It's unusual for Chouji to raise a fuss."

"Quite," Lee agreed, still studying Shikamaru. Silence stretched before them, the only sounds that of the machines Ino was hooked up to, contrasting with the birdsong from outside the window. "Is there something you'd like to talk about?" Lee finally asked. "I swear not to tell anyone."

"Nah, it's nothing."

"Come on. Something is always going on in that head of yours."

Shikamaru scowled, inadvertently squeezing Ino's limp hand. "It's just that, well, I never got to kiss her or hold her like I wanted to. I never got the time with her I wanted." He sighed, raising his eyes to the ceiling. "There's just so much left undone, you know? What if we never get to laugh together again?"

Lee nodded, eyelids half-lowered. "She's lucky to have someone who loves her so much."

Shikamaru's eyes widened and he stared at Lee. "What?"

Lee raised a shaggy eyebrow. "You do love her, right?"

He felt his cheeks turn red. "I don't know. I thought I loved Temari, but what I feel for Ino isn't the same thing. Besides, we haven't even been dating that long."

"I loved Sakura for years before she really accepted me," Lee confided, even though Shikamaru had already known that. Everyone in Konoha had known. "She was a wonderful friend to me, and from that closeness she grew to love me in return. Don't you want to be with Ino more than any other person, and not just because she's got great breasts?"

"Lee!" Shikamaru growled, shocked both at his friend'scomment and the sudden rage that filled him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Lee grinned, raising his index finger. "See? You respect her too much to treat her like an object, and yet you desire her. That's love, my friend. It's love when you'd walk through fire just to see her smile."

A lopsided smile appeared on Shikamaru's face as Lee put another biscuit into his hand. "Do you think she knows I, er, love her?" he asked. The words seemed strange in his mouth, but the clarity in them struck his very core.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask her when she wakes up," Lee said with a wink, putting the tray on the bedside table. "Don't forget to keep your strength up. She needs you."

"Right," Shikamaru said, dumbfounded by the realization he was in love with Ino. It was just so right. He was completely, utterly in love with her, and had been since he was thirteen. Why had it taken him so long to see it?

Lee was almost at the door when he turned around. "Oh, silly me!" he exclaimed, slapping himself in the face. Shikamaru just stared. Lee trotted back over to him, handing him a piece of paper. "The rest of us asked the Hokage for your leave. She's excused you for two months, with half pay."

"Half pay?" Shikamaru said. "But how can she afford-"

"Just because you're on leave doesn't mean the rest of us are," Lee said with another wink, once more standing by the door. "You can count on your team!"

"Thanks," Shikamaru called out after him as he left, tears stinging his eyes. He was blessed to have such wonderful friends. His team was truly incredible. "Thanks," he repeated, reading his notice. Tsunade was earning a reputation for being lenient on lovers for reasons nobody really understood.

"You hear that?" he whispered to Ino. "We'll get to spend some time together, so how about you wake up?" There was no answer, of course, and he sighed.

He spent all afternoon by her side, Sakura stopping by briefly, and Chouji and Naomi visited in the evening with little Inomaru. Hinata and Naruto showed up late, Naruto looking a bit battered but grinning like crazy, as he always did when he was around Hinata. Naruto cuddled Hinata almost constantly, and even though it seemed to embarrass her, Shikamaru could tell she loved that Naruto adored her enough to have the guts to touch her in public. Shikamaru wondered if Ino would want him to show more public affection, if she woke up. His friends left after a while, leaving him alone in the darkened room with his thoughts. He was nodding off in his chair when a soft sound woke him.

"How is she?" Shino asked. "The nurses didn't tell me anything."

Shikamaru gestured to the extra chair. "She's the same." Shino nodded and sat, and something occurred to him. "Hey, have you been standing outside this entire time?"

"Yes."

Shikamaru's eyebrows raised. "Really? This whole time?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

"She's on my team. Ino is an exemplary ninja. She has performed more covert missions than jounin kunoichi twice her age."

He eyed Shino, unable to read his expression, mostly because there wasn't one. "Well, she's lucky to have you as her leader."

Shino merely grunted, folding his arms over his chest.

"Okay, I know how guys like you work," Shikamaru drawled.

"Guys like me?"

"Yeah. Strong, silent types like you."

"And how is that?"

"You beat yourself up like crazy on the inside, and you won't listen to anybody else unless they happen to beat your ass."

Shino appeared to consider that, his head cocked slightly to the side. "And your point?"

"So let's play a game of go. See if you can find a board."

"I'll return shortly," Shino said, and fifteen minutes later returned with a board and stones. They set it up and played a fierce game, but Shikamaru was ultimately the winner.

Groaning, he leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head and stretching. "Okay, I beat your ass."

"Yes, I cannot argue with you," Shino sighed. "Congratulations."

"Now you have to listen to anything I say, because I beat you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. So listen up: it's not your fault. You're not the reason Ino is in the hospital. The enemy is the reason she's here. If you want to beat someone up, go get them."

Again Shino was silent, and Shikamaru could only assume he was processing his words. "It has already been done. The people that hurt her have been killed, I made sure of that."

"Shoulda known," Shikamaru yawned, covering his mouth with a fist. "You want to sit in here tonight?"

Shino shook his head, rising. "No. She would want you by her side. You're all she ever talks about."

Shikamaru stared up at the special jounin, the powerful ninja who had risen through the ranks so quickly and through ANBU. Shino reached out his hand tentatively, and Shikamru took it without hesitation, shaking three times. "Thanks for taking care of her," Shikamaru said.

Shino actually smiled. "I want a rematch tomorrow," he said, and was gone from the room.

"See, I can make friends," Shikamaru told Ino, and held her hand until he fell asleep once more.

* * *

A/N Continued: So, Great Saiyaman asked a few questions, and so here are the answers.

Firstly, where's Kiba? Well, Kiba, bless his heart, doesn't show up much in this fic, mostly because he seems to have the least contact with the group of people I write about, in my mind, at least. He doesn't show up in the fight with Genda because none of his team members are there- Kiba's not on any of their teams anymore. Shino doesn't show up, either, and Ino IS on his team in this fic. No, everyone that showed up had a significant other in the battle, except for Chouji, but Shikamaru's like a brother to him, so that's why he's there. Kiba and Shino didn't have a reason to be there, so they weren't.

Secondly, what happened to Sasuke? I have no idea. He is such a wild card at this point that I couldn't even deal with him. So, I tried to make it seem like the characters all knew what was going on with him, but in reality, I have no idea. That's why he's not mentioned often and doesn't appear at all. Sorry.

And lastly, where's Kakashi? He's there, doing jounin-ey things. He does make a really brief appearance later on. Doesn't talk or anything. I figure he's still involved in Sakura's and Naruto's lives, but Shikamaru and Ino wouldn't have a whole lot to do with him, just because of circumstance.

I totally agree about a ninja's life being hard. The series tends to gloss over the fact that basically these kids are trained killers, but I can understand why that is. I think that living life as a ninja, especially the way society is set up in the series, would actually be pretty horrific. That's why I keep re-introducing these terrible injuries and hospitalizations. I think that even though these folks are talented, they'd still end up in the hospital quite a bit. As to why they all don't just quit, well, there'sa lot to be said about the power of society and a person's sense of duty.

So, I hope that answers some questions you all might have. I welcome questions anytime and will do my best to answer them.


	42. Chapter 42 Awake

A/N: As promised, I'm uploading a chapter every weekday this week to make up for last week. One thing that's bugging me is I don't know if it's supposed to be"TenTen" or "Tenten." I've seen it both ways. Does anyone know for sure? Anyway, please enjoy, and please review, if you have the time.

* * *

"You're lucky I'm lazy," Shikamaru whispered to Ino, clearing away strands of her hair from her forehead. A month and a half had passed and there was still no sign of her waking. Fortunately, waiting was something that Shikamaru excelled at.

"Go home for ten minutes, will you?" Chouji asked from a chair, visiting on his lunch break. Naomi sat in the other chair, nursing the baby. "We'll watch over her and come get you if she wakes up."

"Your beard is getting scruffy," Naomi added, fussing with Inomaru. "If she does wake up, do you really want her to see you like that?"

"Way to boost my confidence," Shikamaru sighed, but pulled away from the comatose woman. "Okay, fine. But you had better get me if anything changes."

"We will, we will," Chouji assured him, and ushered him out the door.

Shikamaru was only gone for twenty minutes, tearing through town like a madman so as to not waste a single precious second. He showered, shaved, changed, and even managed to pick up a bouquet of flowers on his way back. He chose red roses, this time on purpose. He actually knew what those flowers meant. Hopefully Ino would understand what he was saying when she woke up. When he returned he saw Tsunade and Sakura standing in the room, Chouji's arm around Naomi as they all gravely looked at Ino. "What?" he demanded, depositing the flowers on the nightstand. "What's going on?"

Sakura turned to Shikamaru, face solemn. "We think we can bring her out of her coma," she explained.

Tsunade nodded. "It's a risky surgery, but by now I think it's the only thing that will make her wake up. If we fail, however, Ino will die."

"Did you talk to her parents?"

"Yes," Tsunade said. "I have their answer, but first I want yours."

"What do you think?" Sakura asked.

Shikamaru stared at Ino's form, remembering her as she had been, vibrant and strong. The Ino in the bed was pale and wasted. "Do it," he said without hesitation, even as his heart tried to tear itself apart inside his chest at the thought of losing her for good. "Ino would rather die than be weak."

A tear rolled down Chouji's cheek. "Yeah," he murmured, sniffling as Naomi put her arm around him.

Sakura walked over to him, taking Shikamaru's hands in hers. They were incredibly warm, and he wondered if it was a side effect of her healing ability. "Thank you," she said softly, eyes filling with tears. "I'll do it myself."

"And she'll do it well," Tsunade said. "I'll go inform the Yamanakas."

"What was their answer?"

She smiled, hand holding open the door to reveal Shino still standing guard outside. "They said they couldn't make that decision, and to do whatever you said to do."

Shikamaru swallowed as she disappeared from sight. He didn't know how to feel. No, he definitely felt worried. Worried in the extreme. "So when does it happen?" he asked Sakura, who had dropped his hands.

"Tomorrow. Paperwork has to be done."

"Of course," he said. "I'll be here."

"I know," she replied with a smile, and left the room.

Shikamaru went over to Ino and took her hand. "I'd like to be alone with her," he murmured.

"I'll tell Shino," Chouji said, and took his family out of the room.

He wasn't able to sleep that night, instead holding Ino's hand and telling her all the things he wanted for their future. Promises were made, promises he intended to keep if she pulled through, if she was willing to let him keep them. Morning came far too soon, and with it came a brief bout of tears, which luckily ended before her parents showed up to see her. Shikamaru, in a rare impulsive moment, embraced her mother and shook hands with her father before leaving the room. He stood in the hall next to Shino, happy for the other man's understanding silence and heavy, reassuring hand on his shoulder. After a while Ino's parents came out, and a team of medical ninjas rolled Ino's bed away. Everyone followed, parking themselves in the waiting room, andSakura came out and briefed them before disappearing into the room herself, telling themthe procedurewould take at least four hours to complete.

"Sakura will do everything she can," Shikamaru told everyone, and sat down in a chair next to Chouji. As the minutes passed, people began to show up and offer their support. Lee was the first to arrive, having wished Sakura luck just before she went to operate.

"Sakura is very skilled," Lee announced. "Her fiery strength will pull Ino through."

Hinata was the next to arrive, holding a large bouquet of flowers. Actually, Naruto was holding the bouquet of flowers for her, and he didn't look too thrilled about it. Hinata put her arms around Shikamaru's neck and gave him a hug, then introduced herself to the Yamanakas with a bow, Naruto greeting them as well. TenTen and Neji showed up, adding beverages to the food Naomi had brought, and by the time Shino came back from checking with the nurses and bringing his other two teammates, a nice little party was underway.

Shikamaru, however, was hard-pressed to enjoy it, although it meant the world to him that so many people loved him and Ino. Even his own mother stopped by, although his father was on a mission, and she didn't even scold him, instead giving him some spending money. His mother had never given him guilt-free money before. "It's for when she's better," she whispered in his ear as she embraced him. "My baby boy should spend a nice evening with his girlfriend."

"Thanks, Mom," he murmured, waving at her as she left.

The hours passed slowly, but they did pass. An hour after she said she would, Sakura appeared, exhausted. "I think it worked," she said, and Lee caught her just before she fainted. They all wanted to run up to Ino's room, but the nurses wouldn't let anyone in, not even her parents. Inoshi raised quite the stink, forcing the nurses to call Tsunade, but the Hokage was able to calm him down and get him to go home.

"She shouldn't be disturbed at all," Tsunade said firmly. "You all stay out of there until Sakura says you can see her."

Shikamaru glared at Tsunade's back as she left, wondering how in the hell he was supposed to comply with that nonsense. Everyone else went home, but he and Shino stayed behind. The Aburame heir leaned against the wall while Shikamaru paced. Morning came, they went to the cafeteria, then returned to her room and took up their positions. Two days passed in that manner, and finally Sakura said it was safe for her to take visitors. "She's disoriented," she said. "I think she should see Shino first."

"I'm glad I waited here," Shino said, and disappeared into the room.

"Is she okay?" Shikamaru asked, anxiety flooding his body. He felt like he had been walked on by the entire village. His body was sore and his head felt fuzzy.

"She will be," Sakura sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. "She's just trying to figure everything out. Her body is really weak and will need quite a bit of rehabilitation."

"I'll help," he blurted before he realized just how troublesome it would be. The impact of his words hit him, and while he cringed inwardly, he decided to stand by his statement.

"Thank you," she said, and suddenly dissolved into tears. "She's my best friend, Shikamaru," she sobbed, and he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost her."

"You and me both," he murmured, and by the time Shino reappeared Sakura's eyes were dry.

"Be gentle," Shino warned. "I'm going home now."

"Younever wenthome before?" Shikamaru asked, but Shino was already out of earshot. Sighing, he nodded at Sakura and went in.

Ino was propped up in bed by what looked like a million pillows, her blonde hair hanging in curtains around her face. Her thin hands were folded in her lap, her head tilted as if she was staring intently at the blanket in front of her. "Thank god," he choked, rubbing his head.

"Shikamaru?" she said, whipping her head around, and the full force of her blue eyes hit him right in the center of his chest. Her face was a mask of confusion and pain, and the sight of it killed him.

"Oh, thank god," he repeated, and rushed over to her, throwing his arms around her and burying his face in the crook of her neck. "I missed you. I missed you so much."

She started to cry, her tears soaking his collar. "S-Sakura told me what happened," she blubbered. "I don't remember hardly anything, except I was so scared I wouldn't ever see you again."

"It's okay, it's okay," he replied hoarsely, his throat tightening with tears. "We're together now."

"I'm so skinny and weak," she sobbed, and he released her, wiping away her tears with his thumb even as his own relieved tears spilled over. He hated how Ino managed to make him cry, but he was so happy to have her back that he paid no attention to his shame.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, running his fingers through her hair, which had been recently brushed. He suspected it was Sakura that brushed it. "You're more beautiful than ever."

"Liar," she replied, laughing through her tears.

"You know I never lie," he said, leaning forward and kissing her cheeks. She giggled and cupped his jaw, arresting the movement of his head. Her eyes were wide, bottomless pools of blue, and she slowly closed them, leaning forward and tentatively brushing her lips with his. He copied her grip on him, kissing her back gently, reveling in her soft sweetness. When they parted a great sigh left his body, a sigh he had been holding inside for months. "You have no idea how afraid I was that we'd never get to do that again," he murmured.

"I'm happy you still want to."

"Having a vegetable for a girlfriend is really troublesome," he said with a smile, a tear running down his cheek.

"You'll have to help me get better then," she replied, her voice more energetic than before, but the color had gone from her cheeks. He could tell she was tired.

"Rest, Ino," he said gently, and helped her recline. "You'll be out of here in a few days."

"Will you stay while I sleep?" she asked.

He pulled up a chair and took her hand. "I was here the whole time. I'll stillbe here when you wake up again."

"Thank you," she murmured, and he watched as she slowly drifted off to sleep.


	43. Chapter 43 Deer

A/N: Okay, I broke down and did a "Nara family business" chapter. Sorry. It's not an incredibly important chapter, but hopefully it's satisfying for you, and it does set the stage, sort of, for what happens later. I prefer to call it a "transitional" chapter instead of "filler." (grin) Enjoy, and review, if you're so inclined, because I love the feedback.

* * *

"Good morning, Mister Yamanaka," Shikamaru said as Inoshi opened the front door.

"Good morning, Shikamaru," he replied. "Please, come in."

Shikamaru executed a brief bow and entered, taking off his shoes and wandering into the living room. He had been getting along much better with Inoshi of late. It seemed that his refusal to leave the hospital as long as Ino was there had made an impression on the older man. "How is she?" he asked, glancing around.

"Oh, she's all right," Inoshi said, calling up the stairs. "Ino! Shikamaru's here!"

They waited as Ino slowly made her way down the stairs, a determined look on her face. Her expression, which moments before had been ashen and resigned, brightened when she caught sight of Shikamaru. "Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hey," he replied. "Are you ready?"

Inoshi was already herding them towards the door. "You kids have fun. Don't push yourself, sweetie, and don't forget to eat lunch. Make sure Shikamaru takes good care of you."

Ino scowled at her father. "Do you remember how old I am?" she snapped. "I think I know what I need to do by now. I can take care of myself!"

"Of course, honey," he said with a smile and waved at them as they moved off down the street.

"Doesn't he ever have missions?" Shikamaru sighed, clasping Ino's hand.

She snuggled against his shoulder, also holding onto him for support. "Sure. He's just on light duty right now. He wanted to be around for me, I guess."

"Can't blame him," he replied.

They walked for a while in silence, basking in the warmth of the day. Autumn was approaching, but the weather hadn't turned yet. "Where are we going?" she asked when he passed the turnoff for the cloud-watching hill.

"Someplace special," he replied, adjusting his pack. Naomi had packed them a sumptuous lunch, and Chouji had thrown in some newly-formulated pills that he thought would speed up Ino's strengthening process.

She cocked her head and glanced up at him, but she didn't ask him any more questions. He was worried that she would tire out too quickly, since she had only been out of the hospital a few days, but he didn't want to waste his time off, either. They turned off onto a dirt path, walking into the woods until they came to a large gate. He opened it for her and closed it again after he had walked through. They strolled into the woods a bit farther before he stopped them in a clearing with a small shed, a salt lick, and a water trough. "Where are we?" she asked just as a shadowy figure appeared from between the trees.

"Hey!" a deep voice said, and Shikato walked over to them, grinning.

"Hi Dad," Shikamaru answered.

"Haven't seen you here in a while. You've been shirking your duties, but I guess I understand," Shikato said, winking at Ino. "You're lucky your cousin Tomoko pitched in or you would have gotten behind in the rotation."

"Sorry," Shikamaru grumbled.

"But you're not due here today, either. What's up?"

"I wanted to show Ino the herd. She hasn't been out here before."

Shikato's eyes went wide before he chuckled a moment later. "I guess not! You were always at that flower shop of theirs. Well, I'm done here, so you kids have fun."

"We will," Ino said, smiling at his father. "Give my regards to your wife."

Her words drew a chuckle from Shikato. "Sure thing, Ino. Take it slow."

"Bye," Shikamaru said, waiting until his father was out of sight before taking the pack off and setting it on the ground. Ino opened her mouth, but Shikamaru shook his head. "Shhh," he whispered. "You'll scare them away."

Ino's eyes widened and she inched closer to him, scanning the forest. Large shadows appeared at the clearing's edge, silent and still. He could hear Ino's breathing as the first animal stepped into the sunlight, its hide shiny and sleek. "Oh," she gasped, gripping his arm. The buck was enormous, a gigantic rack of antlers on his head.

"It's okay," he said, taking her by the hand and slowly walking towards the buck. "Hey there, fella, remember me?" The buck's nostrils flared, but he lowered his head and took a few steps forward. Shikamaru dug in his pockets for a grain pellet, opening his hand and displaying it in his open palm. The buck tentatively took it, ate it, and nuzzled Shikamaru's hand.

"He wants more!" Ino giggled, eyes shining.

Shikamaru felt his heart soar. She hadn't smiled like that in a long time. "Then give it to him," he replied, digging out another pellet out and putting it in her hand. "Just hold it out flat and wait for him to take it."

Ino gasped as the buck's velvety nose brushed against her and then began to laugh as it took the pellet from her, bounding back into the forest. "It's so soft!" she cried.

He smiled down at her, placing more pellets in her hand. "Here you go. The does will eat from your hand, too, now that the buck has. Just make sure you don't let them get pushy."

"Okay," she said, and he took a step back and watched the deer surround her. Even the females had short, stubby antlers, which they dropped during the winter. His family then gathered the antlers and gave them to Chouji's family, who used them in their pills. Ino laughed and smiled at the animals, obviously having a good time. "There are so many!" she squealed as one of them nuzzled her face.

"Hey, don't get too friendly with them," he drawled. "You don't want to make me jealous, do you?"

"Oooh," she grinned, rolling her eyes. "I'm scared."

He raised an eyebrow. "You should be."

Her brow immediately furrowed. "What? Why?"

He smiled and snapped his fingers, making a series of hand signals. The largest of the does suddenly forced its head between her legs and moved forward, scooping her onto its back. Ino screamed as the deer took off at a dead run. He couldn't help laughing at her wide eyes and startled mouth, watching as she held on to the doe for dear life.

"I'm going to kill you!" she screamed, and he formed a series of hand seals, keeping pace with the herd by using the shadows.

"You'll have to figure out how to get off first," he called back, but he watched her very carefully in case she should start to fall.

The herd finally slowed in a meadow, a brook running through the center of it. The doe that had kidnapped Ino came to a stop, Ino shaking and clinging to its back. It simply stood until Shikamaru came over and gently gathered Ino into his arms. "You asshole!" she cried, smacking his arm.

"What? Wasn't it fun? I bet you're the only girl you know that has ridden a deer. The Nara deer don't just let anyone catch a lift, you know."

She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were pink and she was smiling. He gently set her on her feet, hands on her waist to steady her. "Well, it was pretty different," she admitted, eyes roving over the clearing. "Wow, this is really pretty."

"Not as pretty as you," he murmured, the brook burbling in the background. "Nothing's prettier than you are."

She met his gaze and captivated him, her luminous eyes taking over his soul as she looked at him. "You're very handsome," she whispered, reaching up a hand and tracing his cheek.

It was so easy to be with her. Sure, she was troublesome, and sometimes loud, but she was also graceful and intelligent. He adored her completely. Leaning down, he pressed his mouth against hers, pleasantly surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. His heart rate began to speed up, his body reacting to touching her, and he nearly fainted as she deepened the kiss. His mouth was full of the sweet taste of her, and he thought his heart would burst from the pure joy of it. They sank to the ground together, holding one another and kissing, until Ino's stomach growled. She broke off their contact, startled, then blushed. They laughed together, her ringing mirth mingling with the sound of the running water and creating a lovely music. "I guess I should feed you," he said, helping her up and brushing bits of grass off of her.

"You're wonderful," she told him, gripping his hand, and a wave of tenderness washed over him.

"You are, too. Do you have the strength to walk back?"

"If we take it slowly, and rest a few times," she replied, and they made their way back to where his pack lay on the ground. It took a while, on account of Ino still being weak, but she was improving. He still thanked the heavens every day that she was alive. He unpacked lunch and they ate silently, just enjoying the breeze and one another's company. It was the sort of moment he liked best, and that was why he loved Ino, he supposed; he only had ever shared those sorts of moments with her and no other.

He sighed, hating to say what he had to say next. "I have to tell you something," he said.

Her face tightened. "What is it?"

"I have to go back to work next week."

Ino hung her head, pushing around bits of rice in her bowl. "I understand," she murmured. "I'm lucky you could take off so long, anyway."

"I hope they're not gonna evict me from my place," he murmured.

"I'd like to see it before they do," she said, and he turned to stare at her.

"You've never been over?"

"No," she admitted. "There really hasn't been time, and before you were with, well, her…"

"Right," he muttered, trailing off. The atmosphere grew uncomfortable as they both recounted what had happened, but he refused to dwell on it. "Hey, Ino," he said, stowing his dishes.

"What?"

"Would you like to go to the autumn festival with me next month?"

All traces of melancholy melted from her face. "Of course!" she said, and cast her food aside, tumbling into his arms.

"Great," he said with a smile, feeling his stomach flutter. He returned her embrace and buried his nose in her hair, inhaling. They held one another for quite some time, then he packed up their picnic and they began to head back to town.

"Thank you for showing me your deer," she said, squeezing his hand as they strolled along.

"No trouble," he replied absently, then realized what he had said as they burst into simultaneous laughter.

"I'm glad to hear it," she grinned, eyes sparkling. They took a few more steps before she stopped, looking up at him. "Thank you for today. It was just what I needed."

"You're welcome," he said, returning her smile, and they set off once more.


	44. Chapter 44 Festival, reprise

A/N: About a week and a half left of posts, and then this fic is wrapped up. I'm thinking about maybe doing a few other fics about the other characters that go along with this series, but I'm not sure. I know I've mentioned it before, so it's a good thing that I'm still thinking about it, I guess, but we'll see how much time I have. Enjoy, and please review, if you so desire. I know I like it.

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"Not again," he growled, speeding through the streets of Konoha. His team had returned in time to get ready for the autumn festival, his teammates scattering right away, but he had to make a report to the Hokage, which took an additional half-hour. He was already late, and he had to get home, shower, dress, and make it back to the festival before Ino blew her top.

"Troublesome," he moaned, throwing open the door to his apartment and tripping over a parcel on the threshold. Catching himself before his forehead ricocheted off of the dining table, he snatched up the parcel and shut the door, staring down at it. It was wrapped in brown tissue and tied with orange and yellow ribbon, a card stuck under the bow. Tossing the parcel on the table, he ripped open the card.

"Just a little something," it read. "Affectionately yours, Ino."

"Oh great," he grumbled, shredding the paper and revealing the contents of the package. A lovely outfit tumbled out, made of silk. It was traditional garb, but the craftsmanship was incredible. The colors were blacks, dark browns, and a touch of burnt orange, matching his coloring perfectly. "She must have spent a damn fortune on this," he murmured, running the luxurious fabric through his fingers. It felt wonderful, and he was actually looking forward to changing into it after his shower. Tossing it on the bed, he bathed and shaved quickly, then wrestled the garments onto his body. On his way out the door he snatched up a small box, shoving it in his sleeve, and went running through town.

He was nearly to the festival, stopping by a flower stall. This time he was looking for something in particular. The vendor handed the requested flower over, and he tucked it inside his shirt, hoping it wouldn't get crushed. Speeding on, he arrived at the bridge, only an hour late.

Ino stood in the middle of the bridge, gazing down at the water. Her hair was once more piled high, her body wrapped in a lovely kimono of shades of gold, embroidered with red and navy thread. A dark blue obi, the color of dusk, encircled her waist. "Ino," he called, trotting up to her, and she turned to him, her face lighting up before settling into a scowl.

"Are you always late for these things?" she asked, hands on her hips.

Shikamaru leaned over and put his hands on his knees, breathing hard from his dash across town. "Sorry," he mumbled. "You know I wasn't going to stand you up."

She appeared to consider his words, an index finger resting on her jaw. "Well, that's true. Okay, I'll forgive you, but only if you buy me dinner."

"I was going to do that anyway, troublesome woman," he sighed, scratching the back of his neck. Reaching inside his sleeve, he pulled out the box. "Here," he said, placing it in her hand.

Ino opened the box, a squeal of delight leaving her. "Oooh, it matches!" she giggled, pulling out a lapis lazuli necklace. He noticed as she raised her hand that she was wearing the bracelet and the earrings, too. "I love it!" she cried, flinging herself forward and crushing him in a hug.

He smiled and squeezed her in return, kissing the top of her head. "You're welcome. Thank you for the present, too."

"You look really good," she grinned, holding him at arm's length. She raised a hand and smoothed the fabric across his shoulder and chest. Her touch made him immediately warm, and he looked away with a blush. Ino responded with a laugh and grabbed him by the hand, towing him into the crowd, and held on to his arm tightly, looking into his eyes.

Ino looked so lovely and happy that he couldn't help but smile to himself as they moved through throngs of people. Ino played some games, winning a goldfish, which she gave to a little girl standing at the sidelines. They ran into Chouji and his family at the food stalls, and talked with them until it was time for the fireworks. Everyone gathered together and watched as the sky exploded in hundreds of colors and shapes, the crowd cheering each time one went off. Shikamaru looked down at her, into her shining eyes as she squealed and pointed at a particularly large, blue explosion. Reaching into his clothes, he took Ino's hand. "There's something I want to tell you," he said into her ear, and she froze as he put the flower into her palm.

"A red chrysanthemum," she murmured, her eyes becoming moist. "Do you know what this means?"

"Yeah, I do," he replied, knowing she could hear him despite the noise of the crowd. "It means that I love you, Ino."

"Really?" she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

He smiled, wiping away the tear with his thumb. "Yes, really."

"I love you, too," she cried, and flung herself into his arms, the flower held tightly in her hand. "I think I've always loved you."

"It's too bad it took us so long to figure it out," he murmured, never wanting to let her go, the grand finale exploding above their heads.

"This is the best night of my life," she croaked, and he nodded.

"Mine, too."

The crowd moved to dancing after the fireworks were over, and as soon as they hit the perimeter of the dance floor, hands held tightly, Shikamaru noticed something strange. "Over there," he said to her, and she looked at where he was pointing. Gai and Lee were both crying, holding on to one another and jumping up and down. Gai actually put his hands on Lee's waist and swung him around as if he were a child, although Lee was as tall as Gai was.

"What do you think's going on?" Ino asked, looking up at him.

"I have no idea," he replied just as Sakura bounded over.

"I'm getting married," she cried, cheeks pink as she stood in front of them, shaking. "I'm marrying Lee!"

Ino's eyes widened, and Shikamaru winced as she let loose an eardrum-piercing squeal. "Oh my gosh!" she squeaked. "Congratulations!"

"This spring!" Sakura chirped, and the two women engaged in a screaming contest. "Will you stand up with me?" she asked Ino, and Ino screamed even louder. Shikamaru thought his head was going to explode. He sighed, looking around to make sure no one was watching the scene as the women dissolved into examination of the ring Lee had given Sakura, a detailed discussion of all its attributes suddenly consuming them. Just when he thought things couldn't get any more troublesome, Lee appeared out of nowhere and crushed him in a hug.

"So you've heard!" Lee crowed, squeezing the life out of Shikamaru.

"Yeah," he gasped in reply, unable to draw breath. "Let go. Can't breathe."

Lee looked up at Shikamaru's red face, suddenly realizing what was happening, and immediately dropped his team leader. "Oh, sorry," he said, bowing. " just got really excited."

"Congratulations," Shikamaru said, reaching out and clapping his teammate on the shoulder. "I'm very happy for you. Is Neji going to stand up for you?"

Lee's eyes went all sparkly. "Oh, do you think he would?" he asked, seeming dreamy.

"Despite how he acts sometimes, he really likes you," Sakura said. "Naruto told me as much."

Lee grabbed Sakura and began planting kisses all over her face. "Then I will! My flame of youth burns ever brighter! Let's go find him and ask, my love!"

Sakura blushed and waggled her fingers at them as Lee towed her through the dancing crowd. Ino waved in return, then spun to face Shikamaru. "Isn't that wonderful?" she cried.

"Yeah," he replied, a half-smile on his face as he listened to her excited ranting. After a while she slowed down, and he gently took her hand. "Want to dance?"

"Sure!" she laughed, springing into his arms as he ushered her out on the dance floor. As they slowly moved around, he could see Lee verbally bombarding Neji, who was standing half-behind Tenten, letting her take the brunt of Lee's enthusiasm. He also spotted Kiba dancing with Moegi, who had grown up into a nice-looking girl and was absolutely enamored with Akamaru, and Hinata and Naruto werequietly talking on a bench. Turning his attention back to Ino, he decided to go for broke and pulled her closer, able to feel her long body pressed against him. She gasped and blushed, but closed her eyes and leaned her face on his chest. His hands roamed up and down her back, eliciting a soft moan from her as he fingered the exposed nape of her neck, and it was all he could do not to throw her over his shoulder and take her home with him. By the time the song ended, he was half-mad from feeling her shapely body and warm, scented skin through her clothes, and he could hardly stand it as she dragged him around from group to group, socializing.

Finally people started to mill about, leaving for their homes. Chouji and Naomi had left a while before to put Inomaru to bed, and Sakura and Lee were nowhere to be seen. They chatted with Kiba and Moegi for a while, then bid farewell to Neji and Tenten. Naruto and Hinata passed them on their way home, chatting as Naruto escorted Hinata to the Hyuuga compound.

Ino began to walk in the direction of her house, but Shikamaru took her hand. "Tired?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Not really," she replied. "Why?"

Shikamaru blushed. "I was, er, well, I wondered if you wanted to come back to, uh, my place. For tea or something."

"I don't know," she said, looking around. "It's late, and my parents..."

He nodded, swallowing. "That's fine, then. I understand if you don't want to."

She scowled at him. "You dumbass. Of course I want to. I just don't know if it's a good idea."

He scowled in return. "Cripes, Ino. You're so damn troublesome. It's just tea."

"I don't care if it's just tea," she snapped.

"You're a grown woman. Do whatever you want," he growled, turning and walking away. Taking a few steps, he realized she hadn't moved, and he slowly turned back to look at her. She was standing in the road, eyes moist and jaw set. He could tell that she was trying hard not to be hurt. "Hey," he murmured, walking back to her and rubbing her shoulder with his hand. "I'm sorry."

"I'll come with you," she said softly, eyes downcast. "I'm just nervous."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," he replied. "I just want to spend time with you."

Ino took a deep breath, and he really didn't understand what was upsetting her so. "No, I'll go. I want to spend time with you, too."

"All right, then," he murmured, kissing the top of her head, and led her back to his apartment.


	45. Chapter 45 Love

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews! Some of you might have been waiting for this chapter for a while. I hope it's tasteful, and I hope you enjoy.

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"You don't even have a television?" she asked as she sat on his futon, which was also his bed. "Wow, your apartment is really small."

"Gee, thanks," he grumbled, handing her a cup of tea. His bedroom was actually attached to the kitchen, the only doors in the place being front door itself and the one between the bedroom and bathroom. A screen usually separated his eating area from his sleeping area, but he had moved that aside as Ino entered to create more space.

"Can't you afford a larger place?"

"What's with the third degree?" he groaned, rubbing his head. He was starting to think that asking Ino over was too troublesome. He hadn't had anything particular in mind when he invited her, but he was beginning to regret his choice. "I don't like television. I'd rather read or watch the sky. I probably could afford a larger place, but then I couldn't save up as much money."

She took another sip of her tea. "What are you saving for?"

"Oh, I'm not sure," he replied, setting his teacup on the floor and lying back on the futon. He was glad he had managed to keep the place tidy for a couple of weeks or he'd be getting hell for that, too. "I guess I want to get married someday and buy a house or something. I'm too lazy to come up with a real plan."

"That's right, you always did want a family." She polished off her cup and poured herself another. "I had forgotten. Is that why you broke up with Temari? She didn't seem like the nesting type."

"Pretty much. She was fun, though. Whipped my ass into shape pretty good."

"She helped you train?"

Shikamaru smiled, remembering. "Are you kidding? Temari only liked to do two things: train and, well, I'm not going to tell you about the second thing."

Ino grimaced, blushing. "I think I can figure it out," she mumbled, setting aside her cup and looking around. The light was fairly dim, since he only had a single lamp to illuminate the entire room. "Stupid Temari."

"Were you jealous?" he asked, honestly curious. Ino was being oddly open, and he had always wondered about how she had felt.

"Hell yes!" Ino snarled. "She just whisked you off to free-love-land and I never heard from you again. I really thought she was cool until she did that." She took a deep breath, face guarded as she looked at him. "Do you ever hear from her?"

Shikamaru shook his head, watching the steam rise up from the teapot on the tray he had placed on the futon. "Nope. I've written her several times, but she never answers. I'd like to be friends with her, but I guess she's all-or-nothing."

"I can understand that," Ino sighed. She glanced around the room again. "So, did you, you know, here?"

"Er, well, yeah," he replied, feeling extremely awkward. Wanting to give her an eye for an eye, he asked, "What about you? Did you sleep with any of your boyfriends?"

Ino blushed deeply and shook her head. "No."

His eyes widened, and he stared at her. "You've never? Not even once?"

She hung her head, burying her face in her knees. "No, not even once. One time, one of them tried, and I wouldn't let him, and he got violent. Luckily I'm well-trained, so nothing happened, but I was really, really afraid."

Shikamaru felt an unreasonable anger well up inside of him, making it difficult not to find out who it was and then go beat the living snot out of him. Dammit, there it was again; being around Ino made him want to do troublesome things. Luckily, he was lazy to the core, and the feeling passed as quickly as it had arrived. "That must have been really awful for you," he murmured, sitting up and putting an arm around her. "Is that why you were weird about coming over?"

Ino peeked at him from over the top of her knee. "Yeah," she mumbled.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "You know I would never, ever hurt you or try to make you do something against your will, right?"

"I know, but I was reminded of that, for a moment." She raised her head and looked into his eyes. "I really do love you, and I really do trust you."

They sat in silence on the end of his futon, holding hands and basking in one another's presence. Eventually Shikamaru rose, put the tea away, and returned to find her lying down, head pillowed by her hands. One of her long, creamy-skinned legs was bared to the thigh, making his heart beat faster, but she didn't seem to notice how beguiling she was. "Tired?" he asked.

"No," she replied, patting the covers next to her. He realized as he lay down next to her that she had the chrysanthemum in her hand, twirling it between her fingers. "Did you know that all the flowers you've ever given me had meanings that have something to do with love?"

Shikamaru snorted. "Figures. I only picked that last one on purpose. I guess my subconscious was trying to tell me things I wasn't ready to know." He fell silent for a few moments, then something occurred to him. "So if you thought I was trying to tell you I loved you, why didn't you come after me?"

She examined the flower closely, a half-smile on her face. "I thought you weren't interested, so I didn't want to be the bird that keeps slamming itself against the window, not realizing that there's glass there." The flower fell onto the coverlet from her hand as she sat up, leaning over him. "What about you? If you liked me, why didn't you do anything?"

"Oh man, you are way out of my league. You're too pretty, you're too smart, you're too talented. I thought you'd just laugh at me, I guess."

"Am I laughing now?" she asked, her face serious. Her hands reached up and untied the thong holding up his hair, his wiry locks tumbling every which way. His heart hammered in his chest as she straddled him, getting a good look at her cleavage as she bent over him and opened his shirt wide. Her fingertips left burning trails across his skin, his breathing becoming more labored, and he felt his body immediately respond to her. Her eyes widened, making him blush, but she didn't say anything and didn't move away, her hands still roving over his bare chest. Blood pounded in his ears as she left a trail of kisses down the side of his throat, a moan escaping him. Ino was so tentative, so gentle; it was the opposite of any touch he had previously known. She was driving him crazy, but he didn't want to frighten or upset her.

"Ino," he groaned, arching his back, and she slid her fingers down the grooves in between the muscles of his abdomen.

"You're gorgeous," she murmured. "You're incredibly well-built."

"That's what you get when you date a ninja," he said, hands clenched into fists. Ino took his wrist and hauled him to sitting, although she remained in his lap. He swore she was rocking her hips slightly just to drive him crazy. She slid his shirt off of his shoulders, dropping it onto the floor next to the bed, and pulled her own kimono down, exposing her shoulders and collarbones. He sighed and pressed his forehead against her skin, wanting her more than anything he'd ever wanted in his entire life.

"What's the matter?" she asked as he leaned against her, not moving.

"This is so troublesome," he muttered against her skin, feeling lightheaded as he inhaled her scent.

"Don't you want to do this?" she asked, an edge creeping into her voice.

He looked up into her eyes. "Oh yeah, I want this badly," he admitted. "It's just that I want, well, I don't want you to feel like-"

"Hush," she murmured, smoothing his hair back out of his face. "If I get uncomfortable, I'll tell you to stop, and then you'll stop, okay?"

"Mmmm," he agreed, brushing his lips against the flesh of her neck. Ino shuddered, throwing her head back, and he supported her with his long arms, hands wrapped around her ribcage as he tasted her skin. Suddenly her hips snapped forward, hitting him in the chest and knocking him backward.

She reached up and undid her obi, her kimono falling open and revealing her body to him for the first time. Tossing aside her clothes, she lowered herself atop him, and he groaned at feeling her bare chest against his skin. Her mouth hovered near his, and he took advantage of the opportunity, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her and drew her closer. "What you don't seem to understand, Shikamaru," Ino whispered into his hear when the kiss was broken, "is that I want you just as much, if not more, than you want me."

Shikamaru could only nod, overwhelmed by the goddess above him, his hands and mouth full of her presence. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, how much she meant to him, but he was lost in the sea of her skin, unable to touch her everywhere at once. "I love you," they murmured simultaneously, pressing their foreheads together and laughing, and then his universe was filled with nothing but the sights, scents, and sensations of Ino until well into the night.


	46. Chapter 46 Waking up

A/N: Glad everyone seemed to like the last chapter so much! I hope it's not getting too fluffy or saccharine for anyone. I try to keep it from being like that, but let's face it, sometimes moments in life are fluffy, especially the precious ones. I know that's what it's like for me, at least. Enjoy.

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Shikamaru was half afraid to open his eyes on the off chance it was one of those dream-within-a-dream situations. Judging by the light coming in through his eyelids, it was pretty early morning, although it was bright enough that he wouldn't have been surprised to find the sun had fully risen. It was definitely not Shikamaru's favorite time of day, normally. However, on this particular morning, he could feel a warm, strong body pressed along his frontside, breathing gently in his arms. Deciding to risk it, he cracked open an eye and wasgreeted by a soft curve of neck and golden hair.

So it hadn't been a dream, after all. He reflexively curled around her body, drawing her even tighter and inhaling at the back of her neck, right at the base of the skull at the spot the hair started, the place that smelled like a warm mixture of milk and honey. It was an earthy scent that reminded him of ripeness and spring. The fragrance aroused him, and he ground his hips against her, half-asleep and barely aware of what he was doing. "Mmmm," she said, rolling over and facing him.

"Sorry," he whispered, smoothing tangled hair out of her face. He gazed at her, marveling at the way her body curved, how she could be so soft and so strong at the same time. Making love with her had been fantastic, but waking up next to her was almost a religious experience. He felt dizzy with ecstasy.

Her sky-blue eyes fluttered open, focusing on his face, a smile curving her lips. His heart skipped a beat, and he tentatively traced the whorls of her ear, fingering the silver hoop in the lobe. Ino stretched her neck and nuzzled against his hand, kissing the palm as he retracted it. "Good morning," she murmured.

"Morning," he replied, sighing with joy as she kissed him. "Did you sleep well?"

Her eyes were luminous as she gazed at him. It might have been the angle of the sunlight coming through the window, but Ino seemed to be glowing from within. "Oh yes," she purred, tracing the muscles of his chest with her fingers.

"I didn't invite you here for that, you know," he said softly, running a hand over her bare shoulder as their legs entwined beneath the sheets.

"I know. I was afraid, and then I realized that I didn't need to be afraid around you. You're different from other men. I wanted to make love with you."

The corner of his mouth curled up a bit in a semi-smile, thoughts churning as his hand continued to explore her body. He knew he had hurt her a little, since she had never made love with anyone before, but by the end of the night she had seemed to enjoy herself. Next time he would make certain he took her to the stars. The universe seemed different, now that they were truly lovers, and he found it was far less troublesome than he thought it would be. He knew it wouldn't always be perfect, but he thought the joy would more than make up for it.

"And you have the best butt," she cooed, pushing her pelvis against his and grabbing his rear. She seemed to have been saying something, but he had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn't heard.

"Do you want to come back tonight?" he asked. It was as he had always feared; now that he had Ino, he wanted more. He still wasn't used to wanting things.

A sigh escaped her as her fingers roved over his broad shoulders, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I want to. I don't know if I can. My parents aren't going to be happy I didn't come home last night."

He rolled his eyes. "Ino, you're plenty old enough to stay out as late as you want. You're an adult."

"Can adults do whatever they want?"

"It depends."

"Can adults move in with you?"

Shikamaru propped himself up on an elbow, staring down at her. Had she just proposed what he thought she did? "Excuse me?" he asked. "Did you just ask if you could come live with me?"

Her brow furrowed and she shrunk away from him slightly. "Not if you don't want me to," she replied, voice small.

Having Ino live with him would probably be the most troublesome thing he could imagine ever happening. His brain almost refused to accept it as a real possibility. On the other hand, he wouldn't mind waking up to her every morning….

"I'm sorry, it was stupid," she said, rolling over and moving as if to get out of bed.

"No, it wasn't," he replied quickly, stopping her short. "It's just, well, really sudden."

"But we've known each other almost our whole lives. Don't you think we have a pretty good idea of what we're getting into?"

"We've been friends almost our whole lives, not lovers. It's different."

"I don't see how. It'd just be like having any other roommate, but with benefits."

He sighed. "I don't know. Even if you put that stuff aside, you just don't belong in a hovel like this."

She slid back into bed, curling up against him. "What's wrong with it?"

"Besides the fact that it's nearly microscopic for one, let alone two? The heating is terrible in the wintertime, and the cooling is terrible in the summertime. The neighbors can be noisy, and the garbage isn't collected regularly. Plus it doesn't have a balcony, so you can't really see the sky very well."

"Then we'll get a bigger place."

"Bigger places are more expensive."

Ino scratched her nose, eyes distant. "Well, I have plenty of money in savings, plus we're both working. We could afford a bigger place and still put money away."

"How much bigger?"

Looking around, Ino shrugged. "Maybe a place with a separate living room and a balcony. That should do it, for just two people."

"Really? You don't want a palace?"

She scowled and slapped his arm. "Shut up. You know, you're not really good at pillow talk."

"I've never had to do pillow talk before."

An unexpected smile stretched across her face, her warm arms encircling him and pulling him close. "Good," she murmured, capturing him in a kiss. "You're all mine, just the way I like it." Her hand traveled below his navel, making him shudder.

"Yes," he breathed, and they made love once more.

They took a shower, Ino scrubbing Shikamaru's hair thoroughly and talking about how strange it was to see it down, and then dressed. She looked like a fallen empress, her head held high as she donned her rumpled kimono, walking with dignity even thoughher clothes and hair weredisheveled,and they began the trek to the Yamanaka house, munching on pieces of toast. "It might not be so bad," Ino said as she opened the front door, and suddenly Inoshi was there, eyes blazing.

"What have you done to my daughter?" he cried, and Shikamaru wondered how a man that was shorter than he was could manage to loom over him. Suddenly he turned to his daughter, tears in his eyes. "Oh, princess, did he hurt you? Did he ruin your reputation?"

"Shut up, Dad," she said, making her way to the stairs. "I'm going to move in with him." Shikamaru wondered if he had ever actually consented toliving together. Damn it, he was whipped. How troublesome.

"Whaaaaat?" Inoshi gurgled, going pale. "But you're not even married! What is the meaning of this?"

"We're in love, Dad," Ino called, disappearing upstairs.

Shikamaru wanted to kill her for leaving him alone with her raging father. "I'm going to call your mother," Inoshi hissed, and Shikamaru felt his legs suddenly turn to jelly. This was definitely one of the most troublesome situations he had ever been in. He might have actually been required to put some effort into smoothing things over had Ino's mother not suddenly appeared.

"What's the ruckus about?" she asked, eyeing her husband.

"This boy spoiled our sweet baby!" Inoshi wailed. A split-second later he was back in raging demon mode, glaring at Shikamaru. "And I will kill him for it. How dare you touch my daughter?"

Ino's mother rolled her eyes. "Honey, it was only one night. Besides, they've been dating for a while. They could have been screwing like rabbits, for all we know. It's about time, too. Ino's too old to just be starting out with this sort of thing."

Shikamaru's jaw actually dropped as Inoshi crumpled into tears. "Oh, my poor baby," he mumbled to himself. Just as suddenly he had Shikamaru pressed against the wall, a fist balled up in the front of his shirt. "You had better take care of her, Nara. If she comes crying to me once, even once, I'll be on your back so fast you'll wish you were dead."

His wife came over and whacked him on the head. "Stop that. Shikamaru's a perfectly nice young boy and wouldn't force Ino to do anything she didn't want to." Pulling on Inoshi's ear, she led him over to the couch and forced him to sit down. "Now, what he's really trying to say is that he just hopes you'll treat Ino well. It's hard for him to realize his little girl's all grown up."

"Yes, ma'am," Shikamaru replied, struck dumb. He hadn't spent a whole lot of time as an adult with Ino's family, but just in the past five minutes a lot of influences on Ino's behavior became clear.

It was about then that Ino thumped down the stairs with a heavily-laden suitcase. "Okay. I'll be back for some more of my stuff after we find a bigger place. Here," she said, handing the bag to Shikamaru, and he nearly dropped it,unprepared forits weight. He was also totally unprepared to have her move in that veryday. He thought she might take a couple of weeks to get ready, and he opened his mouth to tell her as much when she shot him an evil glare. It seemed safer to stay away from that topic, so he did. Maybe living with Ino wouldn't be so bad. Maybe.

"Holy crap, what do you have in here, lead weights?" he whined. "Troublesome."

"Quiet, you," she said briskly. "Okay, bye Mom, bye Dad. We'll come over for dinner sometime, okay? Don't worry, I'll call."

Shikamaru followed along, dumbfounded, as Ino led him out of the house, waving at her parents as they stood in the doorway. Ino's mother was smiling, and Inoshi, although he was waving, had tears streaming down his face. "Your family is really strange," Shikamaru told her.

"So's yours," she retorted, and he couldn't argue with that.

"Troublesome," he muttered under his breath.

"I heard that. You know, you're troublesome, too. You just have to decide if it's worth it or not."

"Fine, fine," he grumbled, and followed his new roommate down the street.


	47. Chapter 47 Spring wedding

A/N: Thanks for all your great reviews!! I'm pleased you all seemed to like the last chapter, and if you don't normally like this pairing, and this story is making you like it anyway, well, I couldn't ask for a better compliment. Thank you to all who take the time to review. I hope these last chapters aren't boring- I know some of you may think it's over, but to me, it's not over until I know how things ended up. Hopefully you will feel the same way and read to the end. Just three more chapters after this. Please enjoy, and review, if you're so inclined.

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Spring came, and with it came Sakura's wedding. Shikamaru was relieved when the day finally arrived, for Ino had been scurrying around their apartment for days, babbling about nothing but weddings. However, she hadn't brought up the word in context to herself, which surprised, relieved, and bothered him all at the same time. Hadn't she thought about marrying him, not even once? It was something he had given quite a bit of thought during the six months they hadlived together. He sat at the table, reading a book on strategy and picking apart its flaws, Ino fluttering around the kitchen. "So what do you think?" she asked, and he twitched, startled, looking at her.

"Excuse me?"

"I want to know what you think."

Sweat beaded at his hairline. Nothing was worse than a pissed-off Ino, nothing. If he said or did the wrong thing…. He understood why his dad was whipped. Ino wasn't nearly as terrifying as his own mother, though, so maybe he got off lucky. "I think that would be just fine," he replied, swallowing, and was rewarded with a grin.

"That's what I told her!" Ino crowed. "She'll make herself sick, worrying about things like that."

Shikamaru let out a long exhalation, his entire body tingling with the adrenaline that had just been released into his bloodstream. Putting down his book, he watched her flit about the kitchen, putting dishes away. It was rare that they had two days in a row off at the same time, and he was surprised to find that he had actually missed being around her. Coming home to their larger apartment, and having her there to boot, was far more satisfying than living alone, even if their new place wasn't palatial by any means. Ino wasn't the peerless housekeeper Temari was, but he found the place to be quite comfortable because of it. He was happy he could eat crackers on the couch and not get a stomachache because he was so worried he'd get crumbs somewhere and be beaten for being a pig. What had really surprised him about living with Ino was that she didn't sweat the small stuff. He thought for sure she'd constantly be exploding over little things he did, or maybe didn't do.Perhaps it wasn't so troublesome sometimes, after all.

Ino passed by him with a cup, making a beeline for the cupboard behind him, and he reached out and snatched her up with a long arm, pulling her into his lap. "Hey," he said, voice husky. "I missed you while you were on your mission."

"I have to put this cup away," she said with a smile, tugging against his arm.

"Hey," he repeated, and plucked the cup from her grasp.

"Shikamaru!" she gasped, scowling. "I need that."

"No, you don't," he replied, standing up with her in his arms. She opened her mouth to protest, but he silenced her with a kiss. Her entire body relaxed, allowing him to carry her to their bedroom without fuss. That, he thought, was the best part about living together.

An hour later he pulled on his pants, glancing back at the bed, where Ino still lay with her hair spread out all around her. Her slender limbs were arranged every which way, her face a mask of contentment as she gazed at him from underneath heavy-lidded eyelids. "I don't know how you can move around afterwards," she murmured. "I just want to go to sleep."

"I thought you needed to stop by the flower shop," he replied, zipping up his flak jacket.

"Oh, it's too troublesome," she said with a smile, and he chuckled.

"Suit yourself. I'm just going to go sit in the park, then."

She sat up, the sheet falling away and baring her lovely chest. There were few things he liked as well as Ino's chest. Not too small, not too big. Well, her thighs were pretty nice too…. "You can't do that!" she cried, startling his thoughts out of the gutter. "The wedding's tomorrow! We have things to do!"

"Then you'd best get out of bed," he said, walking into the kitchen and pouring himself a glass of water.

He heard Ino grumbling in the bedroom, and a couple of minutes later she stalked out into the kitchen, tying her hair back in a bun. "Your hair looks like hell," she growled, grabbing the empty glass out of his hand and helping herself to some water.

"Feh, we're not all perfect like you," he said with a half-smile as she slammed the glass down on the counter. Ino had broken several dishes since she moved in; luckily none of them were thrown at him. Then again, she seemed far more eager to hit him with a fist than hit him with something else. "So are you angry at me, or are you angry about errands?"

She scowled at him, walking to the front door and pulling on her shoes. "Both. I don't feel like running errands, and yet you're not trying to talk me out of it. What good is having a lazy bum for a boyfriend if he won't try to get me to be a lazy bum too?"

"I don't know," Shikamaru said, grinning inwardly as she wrenched open the door, although his expression was as sour as ever.

He followed Ino to pick up her kimono, carried the packages that contained their wedding gifts, and ended up at the flower shop. Ino's demeanor lightened quite a bit when she entered the shop, immediately immersed in the flowers. He strolled behind her as she went out back and began to wander through the beds. One of his favorite things to do was lie on one of the stone benches and watch the clouds while Ino did the weeding, planting, and harvesting. They stayed there a couple hours, went home, finished up a few more things, and went to bed.

Ino was up the next morning at the crack of dawn, Shikamaru moaning and groping around her empty side of the futon. He hated it when she left him in bed by himself. It wasn't as much fun to laze about without her under the covers with him, but he supposed he was spoiled. "What're you doing?" he groaned, leaning on the doorway of the bathroom. Ino was already showered and was fussing with her hair.

"The rehearsal's this morning, remember?"

"Oh, right."

"Bum," he heard her mutter as he climbed in the shower, but her tone was affectionate, as was the quick pat she gave his rear. He dressed and joined her in the kitchen, wolfing down a biscuit as she rinsed out a cup and put it in the rack to dry. "Ready?" she asked.

"I don't know why I even have to go," he complained, following her out of the house.

"Because Lee's your teammate, that's why," she informed him. Eventually she realized he was lagging behind, and she grabbed his hand and began to tow him along.

"But it's going to be troublesome," he protested, tugging on her arm to get her to slow down.

"I swear, you're like a big child sometimes," she muttered.

"It'll be good practice, then," he sighed, and promptly shut his mouth as she tossed him a quizzical look over her shoulder. Shikamaru was pretty certain he was going to ask her to marry him, but he wasn't sure when. Of course, he hadn't dared voice any of those thoughts to Ino.

"Good practice for what?"

"Having children," he replied, and she blushed, looking straight ahead, making an insolent smile spread across his face.

They eventually arrived in the cherry orchard, where Sakura and Lee would be wed the next day. The trees were so covered in blossoms it looked like snow, and he had to admit that Sakura looked lovely in her sundress as she greeted them. He always wondered how girls could wear such revealing clothing and not freeze to death. "You look lovely!" Ino said, and Sakura, who was obviously jittery, babbled back. Shikamaru completely tuned them out, not wanting to overhear "girl talk" in the least. Seeing Neji, he wandered over.

"Hey," he drawled, the Hyuuga's head snapping around. Neji always seemed to be glaring at people. Shikamaru wondered if it was just the color of the eyes, but Hinata never looked like she was glaring.

"Hello," Neji said, fidgeting.

An awkward silence stretched between them. "Um, so how's Lee?"

Neji merely pointed, and Shikamaru followed his gesture to see Lee flitting between trees, knees trembling. Gai appeared out of nowhere and held open his arms, and Lee immediately broke into tears, clutching his old sensei.

"Oh," Shikamaru muttered. "Gotcha."

"And I had to be on a team with that," Neji snorted.

The tone of his voice was cold, but Shikamaru detected a slight smile playing at the corners of Neji's mouth. "You obviously miss it," he replied. "Where's TenTen?"

"She begged off."

"Lucky. Oh well. Only for the ones you love…"

"But she was on our team, too, and she's still on Lee's team," Neji pointed out. "I just think she doesn't like weddings."

Shikamaru nodded, folding his arms across his chest. TenTen and Neji's wedding had been very hush-hush, and she really didn't seem to like girly things. "Oh well. She's coming tomorrow, right?"

"I hope so," Neji said, and Shikamaru could tell that Neji couldn't stomach the thought of attending alone. "Otherwise Gai might try to 'cheer' me up."

"Heh," Shikamaru commented, and was saved from trying to come up with more awkward small-talk by Ino in full-blown harpy mode.

"Neji, get over here!" she screeched. "We want to start, but Lee's shaking too bad."

"Sakura, my love, I won't mess this up!" Lee wailed, fists clenched.

"Oh, hell," Neji swore, stalking over to them. Shikamaru was left to stand in the back with Gai as the priest directed the bride and groom on what they would do the next afternoon. Luckily, Gai was so involved with watching the proceedings that he never once tried to speak to Shikamaru. The young man wondered if he could get away with using a shadow jutsu to leave. He figured Ino would notice eventually, though, and he didn't want their first big fight to be over Sakura's wedding. Of course, he didn't want there to ever be a big fight, period.

The rehearsal lasted a grueling two hours, since Lee kept breaking down into tears every five minutes and had to be consoled by a reluctant Neji, and Sakura kept almost passing out. Gai finally intervened, punching Lee in the stomach. "I wanted to hit you in your beautiful face, but you must be unmarked for your wedding!" Gai declared. "Lee, you must be strong for your bride! See how she trembles with nerves? How can she be confident if you are a coward?"

"Oh, you're so right! Gai-sensei!" Lee wailed, and they embraced, tears running down their face. Neji looked like he wanted to cry, too, but for a different reason. Shikamaru wondered for a moment if Neji was going to go ANBU on their asses. However, Gai's pep talk seemed to set Lee straight, because the last fifteen minutes of the rehearsal were perfectly normal.

Ino trotted over the second it was done, beaming. "So how was I?" she asked, trailing a finger down the side of her neck.

He actually hated it when he was trying to be cute. "Eh, you were all right. Gai was the sexy one, though."

Ino's eyes bugged out of her head, and just as she wound up a punch he held up his hands. "No, no, I was kidding!" he protested. Ino lowered her fist, but she kept scowling at him.

"Fine," she growled, and he found her real attitude to be so much more attractive that he impulsively wrapped his arms around her and quickly kissed her.

The smile she gave him was genuine. "So can we go now?" he asked.

Ino glanced back at Sakura. "Actually, can I ask a favor?"

Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets. "You're going to anyway," he mumbled, and, sure enough, her words plowed right over the top of his.

"Can Lee stay with you tonight?"

"What? Why?"

"So I can stay with Sakura. She doesn't want to see Lee before the wedding. Tradition, you know."

"And that means I don't get to spend the night with my own girlfriend? That's absolutely crap-tacular," he grumbled.

"Oh, come on. It's just for one night. Please?"

He narrowed his eyes, looking down at her with his sourest expression. It was then he understood what being "whipped" meant—it meant that you loved a person so much that you'd do anything to make them happy, even if you didn't like it. So much for his goal of not being whipped. "Fine. You owe me."

Her brow furrowed. She had learned not to like repaying his kindnesses, which was one good way to get her to ask less of him. "What do you want?"

"Tomorrow night. You. Strawberries. Whipped cream. You do the math."

Ino's mouth hung open, her eyes wide. "Wh-what? What am I supposed to-"

"I was kidding," he interrupted.

That earned him a slap on the arm. "Jerk," she growled. "Fine, I'll do whatever you want."

"Okay, go tell Sakura," he sighed, surprised when she suddenly went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

"You're the best," she said with a wink, and scurried away.

Lee immediately came bounding over. "So I guess I'm staying with you tonight!" he said, grinning.

"Yeah. We should get a stripper. It's your last night as a single man, after all."

Lee blinked. "Oh no, I could never do that to my darling Sakura! Women are precious and should be admired as people, not objects!"

"I was kidding," Shikamaru groaned, rubbing his temples. Couldn't anyone take a joke today? Of course, he did a lot of rubbing of temples when he was around Lee, period.

"Oh, okay." Lee glanced around. "Where would you find strippers?"

"Kakashi knows," Shikamaru said.

"Whatever Kakashi knows, I know!" Gai announced, appearing out of nowhere. It gave Shikamaru fear-shivers.

"Okay, where do we get a stripper?" Shikamaru drawled, and Gai immediately blushed and trotted away. He glanced over at where the girls were talking, and suddenly both heads swiveled toward him, eyes squinty.

"You better not get Lee a stripper!" Ino screeched, and then went back to her conversation with Sakura as if nothing had happened.

"C-creepy," Lee said, staring.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Ino's like that. Our kids are screwed."

Lee shot him a glance, and Shikamaru mentally kicked himself. What was with him and being all family-oriented lately? Maybe he was just getting old. "Say goodbye to Sakura," he told Lee. "It's the last time you'll see her before she's your wife."

Lee did as he was told, then the two men hit the town. By eight-thirty p.m. Shikamaru was wasted, leaning on Naruto for support. Naruto, however, was also pretty trashed. Lee was unconscious, Neji dragging him down the street by his ankles, Kiba weaving behind them as Chouji herded them all down the street. "Hey, Shino!" Naruto slurred, waving, and promptly passed out, Shikamaru tumbling down on top of him.

Shino came over, pushing the sunglasses further up his nose. "What?"

"Hi," Shikamaru said, having difficulty focusing.

"Are you all drunk?" Shino asked. "It's not even nine yet."

"Sorry," Shikamaru said.

"Issa party!" Kiba howled, giggling madly.

"Not all of us are drunk," Chouji protested, but then Neji stumbled on something invisible, dropping Lee, and Chouji shook his head.

"I see only the family man is still standing," Shino observed.

"I'm awake!" Shikamaru announced, trying to stand up and failing. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he was really happy Ino was at Sakura's for the night. The bachelor party had gone too well. They'd had to pool their money to pay for the damage a drunken Lee did to the bar.

"Can you help me get them home?" Chouji asked, trying to pin a weaving Kiba down.

Shino sighed. "I suppose," he said, darting forward and grabbing Kiba by an ear. The young man howled, but Shino paid him no mind. With his free hand, Shino picked up Naruto's wrist and began to drag him down the street, Neji following slowly.

"TenTen's gonna kill 'im," Shikamaru muttered, pointing a finger.

"Yeah, yeah," Chouji muttered, heaving Lee over his shoulder and tucking Shikamaru under an arm, and it was the last thing Shikamaru remembered.

He woke up the next morning flung across his futon, blinking painfully in the early morning sunlight. "Pathetic," he growled, picking himself up. His head was throbbing, and his mouth was parched, but at least he didn't smell bad. How shameful, to get drunk so easily and so early in the night. Stumbling to the bathroom, he freshened up and shuffled into the living room, where Lee was snoring on the couch. "Hey, Lee, get up," he ordered, poking Lee in the ribs.

"Yaaaaah!" Lee screeched, suddenly on his feet in a fighting stance, striking in random directions. Shikamaru yelped and dodged by falling on his rear. Lee looked down at him, squinting. "Oh, sorry," he muttered. "What time is it?"

"Eight," Shikamaru answered.

"Oh noooo," Lee wailed. "Only four hours to get ready!"

"Four hours is plenty." Lee began to pace, but Shikamaru went to the kitchen and got some water. A small envelope was lying on the counter, so he picked it up and opened it. Inside were some of Chouji's patented anti-hangover pills. "Bless you," Shikamaru muttered, and downed half of them. "Hey, Lee, you hung over?"

"Not in the least!" Lee cried, and disappeared into the bathroom. Shikamaru merely shook his head as he heard the shower turn on. Why was he given brains instead of an iron constitution? Stupid people with stupid fast metabolisms. Sighing, he went to pick out his clothes for the wedding.

The wedding itself went perfectly. Ino was breathtaking, which he expected, but Sakura was absolutely stunning. Lee, too, looked wonderful, and they both managed to keep their wits about them during the ceremony. When it came time for them to walk down the aisle, Lee grabbed Sakura and kissed her deeply. The people gathered cheered, and Gai, who was seated next to Kakashi, was screaming the loudest of all. Shikamaru thought that he was probably trying to cheer louder than Kakashi, but Kakashi simply looked happy, his one exposed eye crinkling up in a smile. Tsunade and Kakashi both paid much attention to the young bride, rivaled only by Naruto in their affections.

Lunch was satisfying, and the reception was fun. It wasn't as elaborate as Chouji's, but few families were as prosperous as the Akamichi clan. Still, it was very laid back, and Shikamaru had a good time. Kiba and Moegi were sitting at their table, along with Hinata and Naruto. "We're going to get married as soon as I'm Hokage," Naruto said.

"Father wouldn't let us, otherwise, I don't think," Hinata added. "But he can't overrule a Hokage."

"You should just make him," Kiba said, arm around Moegi. "Moegi's dad doesn't like me either, and my parents don't believe in marriage, but when the time's right, we're just going to do it."

"Er, that wouldn't really work well for us," Hinata said.

"It was bad enough when Neji did it," Naruto added. "He's not even the heir."

Shikamaru and Ino held hands under the table, listening to the other four people. "Shikamaru?" Ino asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"I'm afraid to say this, because I'm worried you'll be upset."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Well, do you… Have you, um, ever thought about, well, getting married? To me, I mean?"

He smiled inwardly. "Don't give up on me, Ino," he said, and squeezed her hand.


	48. Chapter 48 A proposal

A/N: So what about Kiba/Moegi scares you? The fact that they'll probably have a litter of hyperactive, insane, red-headed, puppy-totinglittle ninjas? Heh heh. Hinata's taken in this fic, but I think Kiba needs to end up with someone, and Moegi's left open-ended enough that she just might work.I may do a fanfic about this later, if I stall on my original stuff. Fanfics are always good for what ails you.... Anyway, thanks for all the kind reviews! Two chapters left after this!

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Shikamaru had saved up months for this night, and now that it was finally at hand, he found himself extremely nervous. It was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, which he had chosen simply because it gave him more daylight hours to get ready. He wanted to do it at sunset. Looking around the hillside, everything was as he wanted it to be. The blanket was spread out, dinner covered to keep away bugs. The bottle of wine and the glasses were in the right place, and he had the most important part of the evening in his pocket. 

In fact, the only thing that wasn't absolutely perfect was the weather. Clouds were gathering at the horizon, making him worry. He had planned to eat before sunset and then put the rest of his scheme in motion, but it didn't seem as if nature wanted to cooperate. Stupid troublesome scheme. At least dinner hadn't been too troublesome- the only person he'd told about his plans was Naomi, who had coordinated everything and coached him on what he should do. Not even Chouji knew what he had up his sleeve. He wanted everyone to be surprised.

He resisted the urge to chew on his fingernails as his eyes scanned his favorite hillside, watching for any sign of Ino. She was already fifteen minutes late, and for a heart-stopping moment he wondered if she'd even bother to show. His paranoid side attempted to take over his mind, trying to convince him that she'd tripped in the park and hurt herself, or that she'd just decided to go off with someone else. Luckily his rational mind kicked in at that point in time, and he sat down in the grass to wait. He adored the hillside. Not only was it one of the best places to watch the clouds and the stars, but it was also the place he had some of his first fond memories of Ino.

"Shikamaru!" he heard someone call, and he stood, looking down the hill. Ino was running through the grass, waving and smiling. She looked like a goddess to him, beautiful and vibrant. Bounding up the slope, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry I'm late," she said, smoothing her hair. Her face was streaked with dirt, and her hair was poking out all over the place, wisps surrounding her where strands had separated from her ponytail. "I was helping Mom replant one of the beds and I lost track of time."

He nodded, wiping a bit of dirt off of her cheek. "It's okay. Are you hungry?"

"Starving!" she replied, eyes sparkling. "Wow, this is quite the setup!"

Shikamaru shrugged, watching as she sat down and trying to ignore the way the sky was darkening with clouds. "Glad you like it," he said, uncovering the food and serving them.

"Naomi must owe you a favor," Ino grinned, accepting the offered plate. "This looks delicious."

"Something like that," he mumbled, trying to keep his hands from shaking. He hadn't been so nervous in quite some time.

The wind picked up as Ino dug in, Shikamaru mentally screaming. It couldn't rain, it just couldn't. He'd gone through a lot of trouble, something that was against the very grain of his soul, to make tonight perfect, and then the stupid sky was going to go and ruin everything. "Do you think it will rain?" Ino said, looking up at the heavens between mouthfuls, and he followed her gaze, horrified as thunder rolled across the sky.

Shikamaru's face twisted in bitterness as the clouds burst, pouring water down on them. Ino shrieked and began madly packing up the food. "Tch, troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled as he sat in the rain, lightning streaking across the sky.

Ino, in the meantime, had managed to pack almost everything up and stashed it beneath a tree. "What are you doing?" she yelled from underneath the shelter of the branches. "You're getting soaked."

He didn't feel like telling her that he didn't care that he was soaked. His perfect evening was ruined, just like he should have expected it to be. Was nothing easy? The rain was drilling away on his head, and he was already sopping wet. What was the point of moving? Reaching over, he dumped the already-accumulating water out of one of the wineglasses and stared at it sullenly as it began to fill up again.

"Shikamaru!" Ino cried. "Get your butt over here!"

A sour curl to his lip was the only response he had for her, glaring at the sky. "Too late," he grumbled.

"You're going to catch cold!"

"Who cares?" he mumbled, setting down the wineglass.

Ino was suddenly in front of him, a gentle smile on her face. She crouched before him, putting a hand on either side of his jaw. "I care," she murmured, and kissed him. Her lips were wet with rain, and she smelled like the soil she had worked in all afternoon, the smell of earth mingling with the fresh rainwater and the slightly floral scent her body possessed. Reaching up a hand, he caressed the side of her face, running a thumb over her lower lip as she released the kiss. "Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him to standing. He reluctantly let her tow him under the tree.

"The wine," he said, blinking out into the storm. The light was beginning to fade from the already darkened sky.

"Oh, crap," Ino growled, and before he could say anything else she dashed back out into the rain, quickly gathering up the bottle and the glasses. Water dripped off the end of her nose as she rejoined him, her clothes plastered to her body. "Guess we'd better drink this to keep us warm," she said with a smile.

"I guess," he sighed. "This is terrible."

"What is?"

"This troublesome weather."

A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Oh, but you're soaking wet," she purred, and his heart skipped a beat as cold, wet fingers slid under the mesh of his shirt, following the contours of his ribs. "Maybe you should get out of those clothes."

He looked down at her, at the hair matted to her head from the rain, and the clothes clinging to her shapely body like a second skin. Over the past several months he had come to know that body almost as well as he knew his own, familiar with all her most sensitive and wonderful places. He adored her, and he wanted to touch her, not just for that moment, but for the rest of his life. She looked so natural and pure, standing before him, and he decided it would be less troublesome to follow through with his plan than to wait.

"What?" she asked, reacting to some expression on his face. "Is everything all right? Do you not want me to touch you?"

"No," he replied, voice husky. "I want to you to touch me very badly."

"Then we don't have a problem," she chuckled, and slid her hands up his back.

"But I don't just want to touch you today, Ino," he said, reaching into a pocket. "I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

Her eyes went wide as he pulled out a box. "Shikamaru," she murmured, cheeks pink.

He thought his heart would burst from her beauty. Opening the box, he produced a ring. "So what do you think? Want to spend the rest of your days with me?"

Her fingers reached out toward the ring as if to stroke the sapphires. "Are you sure?" she asked, glancing up at him. "It's not too much trouble?"

"Are you kidding me?" he chuckled, wiping away some of the water streaming down the side of his face. "You're tons of trouble. Only time will tell whether or not you're worth it, right?"

Ino fingered the ring longingly, a strange expression on her face, and sudden fear blossomed in his chest. "Are you sure?" she whispered.

"Of course," he said. "Don't you want to?"

"Yes," she replied, flinging herself at him, and he embraced her fiercely. "You know I love you."

He kissed the top of her head, then released her, sliding the ring onto her finger. "Well, you know I love you, too."

Ino squealed and held her hand out in front of her, eyes gleaming despite the water streaming down her face and the fact that it was almost dark. "It's so pretty! Way prettier than Sakura's!"

"Of course," he smirked. "You know I come through when it counts."

"Only when it counts," she smiled slyly. "Come on, I can't wait to show my family!"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru murmured after she kissed him, and gathered up the picnic things as night fell, following Ino back into town.


	49. Chapter 49 Nuptials

A/N: One chapter left after this. Please enjoy and review, if so inclined.

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Shikamaru sat at the table, staring at the people seated in front of him. It seemed like there was a sea of people there, all looking at him. Their voices were a dull roar in his head, and he wondered how many of the people he actually knew. Turning his head, he looked at the woman seated next to him. She was a vision in her white kimono, bouquet of lilies and roses placed before her on the table, her golden hair done up in curls on top of her head. Her smile was radiant, her eyes sparkling blue, and he couldn't help but stare at her. The angel before him had married him just moments before and already he couldn't remember any of the ceremony. He only knew that if Chouji hadn't been there, ready to hold him up if need be, he might not have made it. Sakura didn't seem as if she was worried about Ino at all, and the bride herself hadn't appeared nervous in the least.

Still, who were all these people? Were they really all here to see him and his new wife? He looked blankly out at the crowd, finally recognizing someone who was waving at him. Raising his hand, he tentatively waved back at Hinata. His entire team was there with their significant others, although Lee and Naomi were sitting next to one another, since Chouji and Sakura were seated at the head table. All of these people were here to celebrate his wedding?

"Are you okay?" he heard Ino ask, and he turned blank, shocked eyes on her.

"Fine," he replied mechanically.

"Are you sure?"

"Troublesome," he muttered.

She waved a hand in front of his face, but he didn't blink. "Oh, Shikamaru," she chuckled, and pecked him on the cheek, which got a rise out of the crowd. He feared the twinkle in her eye for a moment, but then she was kissing him, and he forgot everything else.

The reception wore on, the afternoon turning into evening, and the lamplight shone off of the autumn foliage. He couldn't believe that she was his wife only one year after moving in with him. Of course, he had always wanted her, he had always loved her. His dreams, decided when he was so young, were finally coming to pass. "And so Naruto and Sakura are finally getting their genin teams," Hinata was telling him.

"Oh, that's nice," he murmured, brain still unable to process that the beauty across from him was his wife.

"He's really excited. They get assigned tomorrow," she continued, shooting a tender glance at the exuberant blonde. Naruto and Kiba were talking animatedly about something or other.

"Excuse me," he said, retreating to where the beverages were. The whole event was just too much for him. He didn't like people in general, and being around so many at once was tiring. His parents had invited their entire clan, and Ino's family had done the same. His mother was still weeping openly, and Shikato, Inoshi, and Chomaru were all well on their way to being staggering drunk. At least Inoshi was finally treating him well, now that he had made the man's daughter an "honest" woman.

After pouring himself a glass of water, he darted into the shadows, trying to catch his breath. Ino was having the time of her life, being escorted around the dance floor by Chouji at the moment, looking like a princess. It was nice to watch her from a distance, he realized. Her every glance radiated joy, and he felt proud to be the source of that joy.

"Well, well," a husky voice said out of the darkness, and he stiffened. It had been years since he had heard that voice, and yet he still knew its every pitch and tone. "Seems like I didn't miss it, after all."

Shikamaru slowly turned around, eyes wide. "Temari?" he asked, and she stepped out of the darkness.

"Hey," she said with a grin. He had forgotten how gorgeous she was, even thoughIno was the woman he longed for. However, he was genuinely happy to see Temari. He had missed her brash companionship, and the fact that she hadn't answered any of his letters bothered him more than he cared to admit.

"How are you?" he asked, moving forward. "I wrote you, but you never replied."

"I got them," she murmured, face wistful for a moment. "But I couldn't find the right words to reply. So, I'll say this now instead: I'm very happy for you. She really loves you, and I can tell you love her."

"But you were one of my best friends."

"I can't say I'm not sorry that Konoha's best rear end is off the market, either," she said with a sigh.

"You should come and visit us sometime. We'd love to have you. It's been too long. I've always wanted to be your friend, you know."

A smile broke across her face. "I may take you up on that," she replied.

"I can't believe you got my invitation. I'm really happy you were able to make it."

She shrugged, adjusting the fan on her back. "You're a good guy. I actually wasn't going to come, butKankuro guilted me into it. I'm glad I did, now. You guys look great."

"You do, too," he murmured, surprised that he didn't still ache for her friendship. Ino filled his soul completely, but he still cared about Temari. She was a wonderful woman and a good friend. "Why don't you join us?" he asked. "Lots of people would like to see you, I'm sure."

"No, I'm have to be going. I actually need to report back home. This is just a pit stop after a mission."

He nodded as her dark eyes darted over to the gathering. "It means a lot to me that you came," he said, reaching out and grasping her hand.

"Good," she said. "It should. I have someone waiting for me at home now, too, so I need to get moving. Don't forget about me, okay? "

"I won't," he promised, and was surprised as she darted forward and kissed his cheek.

"Be happy, Shikamaru," she whispered, moving up into the branches.

"You, too, Temari," he replied softly, holding up a hand as she disappeared into the night.

"Shikamaru?" a voice asked, and he turned to see Ino approaching him. "Are you all right? What are you doing?"

He glanced off into the trees. "I'm fine. Just tying up some loose ends," he murmured, and took her hand, squeezing it. "Ready to spend the rest of our lives together?"

"Absolutely," she replied, grinning, and they moved off to rejoin the rest of the celebration.


	50. Chapter 50 Worth the trouble

A/N: This is it, the end of the fic. I hope that you enjoy it. This story has been a blast to write, and it's been fun to post because of all the great feedback and committed reviewers. I've received more reviews for this story than any other I've ever written, and I'm truly fortunate to have such great readers. Thanks!

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The next three years passed in a blur. With all the money they had saved up, and with the help of their parents, they purchased a modest house with a nice backyard. In Shikamaru's opinion, the best thing about the house was the unencumbered view of the sky. The lot had plenty of trees on it, and so everything was blocked out but the sky. He spent hours lying on a bench he installed, staring at the clouds while Ino whistled as she worked away in the garden. In fact, he missed it when she was on missions and her whistling was absent from his sky watching. She claimed to miss him, too, when she was gardening while he was gone. Ino would occasionally get irate about something, and she was always after him to pick this or that up, or help her pay for one item of furniture or another, but it wasn't as troublesome as it could be, he supposed. Their parents dropped by often, and Shikato and Inoshi tried to get him involved in something called "poker night," but he refused. He preferred to spend his evenings playing shougi or go with Ino, Chouji, or Asuma. Shino sometimes swung by for a game, or Tenten and Neji for dinner. Sakura and Lee were a common sight in their living room, as were Hinata and Naruto. After all, he and Ino had picked the house for its cozy atmosphere and large windows, and their friends appreciated it. It pleased Shikamaru that he could see the sky from any room in the house.

Shikamaru was resting up from his latest mission, hobbling around on crutches. Their last assignment had gone sour after they received a faulty intelligencereport, and only his quick thinking, their good teamwork, and the fast reflexes of his friends had saved him from further injury. His leg had been broken in three places, and while Hinata or Sakura could have fixed it up, their talents were actually needed elsewhere. The fractures would heal fine on their own, and he didn't mind the time off. When, after all, did he mind having time off? It was then that Hinata was chosen to teach a genin team, and so Tenten and Lee were reassigned to another unit until he was healed. Actually, Ino told him she had heard rumors that he was next in line for a genin team himself. Naruto's and Sakura's teams had finally passed their chuunin exams, and while their students were quite good, none exhibited particularly stunning genius or skill.

"Mail," Ino said, flicking an envelope his way as she walked through the room. She had been moody of late, and he wondered if something was wrong with her. He snatched the envelope out of the air and set down the book he had been reading, shifting his cast on the footrest.

"You're home early," he said, listening to Ino stomp up the stairs. "I thought your team wasn't due back until tonight."

"We did our best to finish sooner, since I had an appointment this afternoon, " she called, and it wasn't long before he heard the water running. Sighing, he tore open the envelope. He was always extremely relieved when she arrived home from missions in one piece. The days when he would teach a genin team actually sounded like fun, since he would be home more often. It would be nice to see more of Ino. Students would be troublesome, though.

Shaking out the letter, he read through it, a smile crossing his face. It was from Temari. She had been in much closer contact during the past few years, even stopping by to visit them once in a while. Ino and Temari got along chillingly well. He always felt like he had barely escaped with his skin each time he was with the two of them. They were very similar in a lot of ways, and although the fact they loved to pick on him was troublesome, he was happy that they were friendly with one another.

The last time he had seen Temari was just a few months before he broke his leg. She and her brothers, accompanying the Kazekage, had attended the announcement of the next Hokage. Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro had found him in the crowd, where he stood next to Hinata, Ino, and Chouji. Gaara and Hinata had embraced, a slight smile on Gaara's face, and Kankuro was all grins. Temari and Shikamaru exchanged hugs, and Ino and Temari immediately set to whispering to one another in low voices, looking at him out of the corners of their eyes, which made him nervous. The group, which consisted of nearly all of Konoha and several contingencies from other countries, fell silent as Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the elders took the stage.

"Today we announce my successor, the Rokudaime!" Tsunade called out, holding her hand high. "I will spend the next few years training the candidate, and then I will pass on my position."

The crowd clapped, Tsunade bowing. Shikamaru had smiled; the love the populace had for her had only grown as the years passed. "So now, without further ado, I introduce you to your Rokudaime, Uzumaki Naruto!"

The older portion of the crowd fell into a shocked silence as Naruto's contemporaries shrieked and screamed with delight. "Go, Naruto!" Hinata shouted, waving as her lover appeared on the stage, all smiles. He had waved at the crowd and flashed them a victory sign, his grin so wide Shikamaru thought Naruto's face would split. He and Temari shared a smile, then he put his arm around Ino and kissed her temple, his wife screaming and clapping along with everyone else, her eyes shining.

"I'm gonna be Hokage!" Naruto yelled, jumping up in the air. "Hey, Hinata, you wanna marry me now?"

A laugh bubbled up from the gathered people, and many heads turned to stare at Hinata, who immediately turned the color of a tomato. "Of course!" she cried out, then smiled behind her hand, looking down at the ground. Naruto let out a whoop and jumped again, pumping his fist, then bowed low to the public.

"I promise never to let danger near our city, and I will protect our country to the best of my ability!" he called out to everyone, his eyes filled with love for each and every single person gathered. Shikamaru hoped that the citizens of Konoha understood just how serious Naruto was about his promises. Nobody would make a better Hokage than Naruto. Nobody loved Konoha like Naruto did.

"You finally get your man," Gaara said to Hinata, the slightest of smiles on his face. Hinata had thrown her arms around him and squeezed him, Gaara's eyes widening before his expression softened almost imperceptibly, and he hugged her back.

"Are you hungry?" Ino asked, ripping Shikamaru out of his reverie and back to the present. The parties the night of the announcement of Naruto's new position had been incredible, and he had tons of fun with the Sand trio.

"What? Oh, sure," he muttered, looking back down at the letter in his hands. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," she said, and disappeared into the kitchen. Ino wasn't the best cook, but she wasn't the worst, either, and although he was the better chef of the two, it was too troublesome for him to cook.

"Hey, Ino?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go to Wind country next week?"

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to. It depends on if we're on a mission. Why?"

"I'm pretty sure you'll be free. They're announcing Temari's ascension to Kazekage."

Ino poked her head out of the kitchen. "That's great! Of course I'll be there! Will your leg be fine to travel?"

He glanced at his leg and shrugged. "Probably. We can hitch a ride, most likely. You know Naruto has to go, along with Tsunade, and they'll probably be riding."

She nodded. "Okay, sounds good. I'll be fine to travel, too."

Folding up the letter, he threw a glance at the kitchen. "Ino?" he asked. "Are you okay? You've been acting strangely."

Ino appeared from the kitchen, suddenly in front of him. She knelt and grasped his hands, looking into his eyes. "I have something to tell you," she murmured, eyes filling with tears.

A cold lump formed in his stomach. Was she unhappy? Was she going to leave his lazy, sorry self? "What is it? Is everything okay?" Damn it, whatever it was, it was going to be troublesome.

"We're going to have a baby," she announced, tears streaming down her face, and he realized that she was grinning. They were tears of joy.

"Troublesome," he grunted, but his face stretched into a smile. Gathering her into his arms, he squeezed her tightly. "I'm really glad I'll be around more, then. Have you told your parents?"

"No," she said, burying her face in his neck as she climbed into his lap. "I just got the test results today."

"I'm so happy," he murmured, and he could feel all his dreams coming true.

The ceremony inaugurating Temari was fabulous, and, since they were friends of hers, Shikamaru and Ino were treated as special guests. She spoiled them rotten, especially after she found out Ino was expecting. Temari then told Naruto that she would kill him if he let anything happen to Ino or the baby, or anybody else in their group of friends,which actually seemed to scare the blonde jounin. What Shikamaru liked best of all, however, was the affection in Temari's eyes as she gazed at her latest lover, a tall, dark-skinned man with silvery hair. He actually gave Shikamaru an interesting game of go, although Shikamaru still won in the end, and Temari confided to him that even though she still wasn't interested in marriage or children, she liked the new guy well enough to keep him around for a while. Shikamaru was able to go home with a full heart.

Time flew by as he was introduced to, and passed, his first genin team, who immediately dismissed him as a slacker until he all had them doing handstands with a shadow bind. He suspected they resented him for watching the clouds while he made them run laps, but Asuma had been a lazy bastard, too, and his team had turned out fine. As Ino's pregnancy progressed, Naomi was over more and more often with Inomaru and their second child, who was already a year old. Sakura herself attended to Ino as she gave birth to their first child, Cho. She was a beautiful baby, and she grew into a beautiful little girl, with wide blue eyes and dark, silky hair. Cho was the apple of his eye, even when she would scream and yell and demand that Shikamaru play with her. It was troublesome, but then she would fall asleep in his lap at night, and he would take in the sweet scent of her skin and realize that he would fight the whole world to keep her safe if he needed to. Ino was a wonderful mother, and she was able to enforce discipline, and Cho definitely inherited her drive. That, combined with the intelligence she inherited from him, made her a hellion. She delighted him.

Then Ino announced that they were expecting again. Naruto became Hokage shortly afterwards, and Sakura and Lee had their first baby. Naruto and Hinata were married at long last, with much grinding of teeth of the Hyuuga clan, and under Naruto's direction, the Hyuuga were forced to accept Neji and Tenten back into the fold. Hitaro, Shikamaru's son, was born many months later, and Cho immediately set about terrorizing her dark-eyed brother.

Cho was five and starting her first day of ninja academy, her little hand in Shikamaru's as he walked her to school. "But what if they don't like me?" she asked, eyeing the other children running around the yard, screaming and playing, as the parents stood around and chatted.

"Just find Inomaru. He'll play with you," Shikamaru said with a sigh, but smiled as he looked down at her. He secretly treasured the feeling of her warm, slightly sticky hand in his. It wasn't too troublesome to feel contented, and contented he was.

"Hitaro, you stop right there!" Ino screeched behind them as Hitaro toddled past. The two-year-old was making a beeline for a swing, his blonde hair shining in the sun.

"Mommy's scary," Cho said, blinking up at him with a gaze identical to the sky-blue eyes he had based much of his life upon. "Why did you marry her?"

Shikamaru stopped for a moment, looking up at the clouds, and felt his life in motion, his being in synch with the world. He had fulfilled his dream, albeit more successfully than he had aimed for. His wife, his children, and his love were all far more than merely average. The sunlight glinted off of his wife's hair as she snatched up their son, wiping dirt from his face as she turned to Shikamaru and grinned, and her trim form and beautiful face, along with the fiery personality and tender soul behind it all, still made his heart flip over with joy. He smiled back at her as she kissed crown of Hitaro's head, then he tenderly met his daughter's blue gaze.

"Because," he said, "She's worth the trouble."


End file.
